Wings of Tomorrow
by Black-Trooper
Summary: A world filled with malevolent gods, pushing humanity to the brink of extinction. Only the fabled God Eaters of Fenrir stood in the way. But even their numbers weren't enough. A new weapon was needed to turn the tide of war against the Aragami. Due to a unique circumstance, retired God Eater, Kiyoka Matsuo, was forced back into that chaotic life she had once given up.
1. Chapter 1

**Author Note:** This story contains strong violence that could be quite disturbing. In addition, there is also mild swearing every now and again. I believe this is necessary to portray the realism of a post-apocalyptic life filled with malevolent beasts that are threatening the remnants of humanity. I will of course ensured it stays as T rated as intended, and shrive not to go anything above that.

It may take a while to update new chapters, as I have work and other commitments in real life, and can only write when I have the free time to do so. I may occasionally edit previous chapters if I come across spelling mistakes, citing sources from quotes I've taken and anything relevant I like to add.

This is my first fanfic. Having been around the site for quite a while and participated in many RPs in the past, I decided to have a go writing a story at last. I am a fan of the God Eater series. I've taken a liking to it, as it's pretty similar to Monster Hunter, but not so extremely difficult for a casual gamer like me to handle. And unlike Monster Hunter, it has a character-driven story. I've played Burst when it came out on PSP. And later, the remake Resurrection and the sequel, Rage Burst on PS4. I have also watched the anime adaptation and read a few of the manga such as the Spiral Fate and 2nd Break.

The story will be based on the first game's story-line with some original elements involved. As far as shipping goes, I'm still undecided. I mean I don't want to go and ship characters just for the sake of it, not unless I believe it can actually work. We'll see how it goes as the story progresses.

In the meantime, please enjoy the story and leave a comment if you like.

 **Disclaimer:** First and foremost, I do not owned the God Eater series. Everything except my original characters and elements, are rightfully the property of Bandai Namco Entertainment. There is no financial gain to be made from this, nor will any be sought. This is purely for entertainment purposes only.

* * *

 **Chapter 1  
**

* * *

 **Fenrir America Branch, 2067**

 _ **Four years ago**_

Kiyoka Matsuo was faced with a dilemma as her gaze fell upon the pool table. She only needed to pot the black ball to win the final frame and the game itself, after a thrilling close match against her opponent. However, it was easier said than done. The black ball unfortunately, was not placed at the most ideal of angles, as it was positioned too close to the cushion than she would have wanted.

She ran a hand through her silver hair, wondering if she should play a safety shot or play for the winning shot; both options were fifty-fifty in her mind.

"So, what's it going to be, Miss Matsuo?"

Her gaze shifted over to the young woman, who asked the question; Ashley Sanchez, a fellow squads mate in Alpha Team and a good friend of hers, whom she had known since before they join Fenrir. Behind Ashley, she could see a small crowd who has taken interest to watching the match, and were eagerly waiting for her to make the shot.

"You know what? I'll take the shot." Kiyoka replied, having decided to go for broke. For such an epic match, she didn't wish to disappoint and bored the spectators by playing defensive at this stage of the game.

After a deep breath she leaned forward and placed the cue stick over the open bridge of her other hand, her red eyes fixed steadily on the cue ball. The stick slides back and forth until she was satisfied with the balance, and then she held her breath.

' _Here goes nothing!'_

She struck the cue ball hard with the tip of the stick, which hit against the black and send it towards the corner pocket at a blistering pace. For a moment, she thought the black had gone in. However to her dismay, it didn't. Instead, the ball ricochets twice off the cushion with the white following closely behind in parallel. Then both balls were stopped conveniently at the pocket her opponent had chosen. With a comfortable straight angle and short distance, it was the easiest of shots gifted away to her opponent. The crowd was murmuring in the background, as they couldn't believe what had happened.

And before she knew it, she had lost the game when her opponent stepped up for his turn and calmly pots the black in. There were rapturous cheers and applause the moment the game ended. She appeared gutted at her defeat, whilst her opponent looked delighted at his victory. It was then she felt a hand on her shoulder, and she glanced over to meet the hazel eyes of Ashley.

"Cheer up," Ashley said, trying to console her friend. "You was just unlucky, that's all."

However, Kiyoka shook her head as she disagreed. "Nah. It ain't got nothing to do with luck," she said, her southern accent coming through strongly. "I simply screw up. Shoulda played a safety instead…"

In spite of her defeat, she was gracious enough to shake her opponent's hand and offer a word of congratulation. The lounge had quiet down drastically after the pool game with the crowd dispersing to do their own business.

"I still can't believe we got nothing going on for a whole month," Kiyoka said, as she took her seat at the far corner booth; Ashley joined her across the table. "Kind of bored just waiting around on stand by."

"You make it sound as though that's a bad thing," Ashley said, taking a swig off her bottle of root beer. "It's not often we get R&R, especially in our line of work. I say we should enjoy this rare opportunity of a break as much as we can."

"I suppose…" Kiyoka cracked open a can of iced cold coffee. "It's just that… I don't know. Whenever I use my God Arc during training simulations. It feels restless, like it's itching for real Aragami flesh."

Just as she sipped her coffee and enjoy the cool caffeine down her throat, she felt the PDA vibrated in her shorts pocket; Ashley too felt the same, as she fumbled for hers in her duster coat. Both women whipped out their devices simultaneously, and their eyes widened as they read the message that popped up on the screen:

' _Attention,_

 _God Eaters of Alpha and Bravo Team,_

 _Assemble immediately in the briefing room for an urgent mission,_

 _Major Maria Valentine'_

"Well, how about that?" Gulping down the remaining root beer from her bottle, Ashley adjusted the brim of her cowboy hat. "Looks like you got your wish after all, Ms Matsuo."

A smile crept up on Kiyoka's face, along with the glint in her eyes. After a whole month of being on standby, her unit was finally getting back into action.

"Oh right, it's show time!" she said, sounding excited as she shoot up from her seat. "I'ma get my big sis right away! See you in the briefing room!"

Kiyoka bolted for the exit. Her enthusiasm was that of an excited cowboy who was ready for a rodeo. She searched frantically for her older sister around the base, who was neither seen in the hall, nor the canteen or her bedroom. Eventually, she tracked her down, after somebody pointed out her last known location. She wasted no time rushing up the stairs leading to the roof, pushing the door open on her way.

"Hey, big sis! We-"

She would have finished whatever she needed to say if not for the mere fact she happened to be intruding upon a young couple's intimate moment. The man had his arms wrapped around the woman's waist, while she had hers around the back of his neck. Neither of the two was seemingly aware of her presence, as they continued their passionate kiss with the evening twilight in the background like a scene from out of a romance movie.

Sighing, Kiyoka didn't particular wish to interrupt the intimate moment; a man and a woman in love wasn't any of her business. If it weren't for the fact however, the young couple in question were needed in the briefing room, she'll be glad to have left them be. Clearing her throat, she hoped she had been able to break the two out of their own little world. And sure enough, the young couple parted their lips from one another, and their gaze fell upon her.

"Kiyoka," The young woman called out to her, with a smile on her face. "Something you need from me, little sister?"

"Uh, yeah, Reika. We got a mission," Kiyoka replied. "Have you even checked the message on your PDA? I thought you'd known it by now…"

It was only after she took out her PDA from her shorts pocket, Reika had realized her little sister had spoken truth. "You're right. Can't believe I didn't realize this until now. Thanks, little sister."

"Jeez, you should be more aware of stuff like this, big sis… You're the Captain of Alpha Team, remember that?"

Both Matsuo sisters looked very much alike to the point they could be described as twins, even though they are four years apart. They had the same silver hair and red eyes that was inherited from their parents, same fashion sense with their cut off jean shorts and cowboy boots like some rogue southern belles, same matching tribal lower back tattoo and navel piercing.

The only differences were, Reika had a longer hair reaching past her shoulders, while Kiyoka's was shorter at neck length. The older sister wore a brownish bomber jacket; where as the younger sister had black denim jacket. She had roses inked to her lower right leg rather than butterflies. Appearance aside however, their personalities were different from one another.

"And you, Vice-Captain, Joshua Marshall," Kiyoka pointed her finger briefly at the man beside her older sister. "You should be reminding the Captain of her responsibility. Instead, you are just as absentminded as her…"

Joshua lets out a chuckle in response as he rubbed the back of his black hair. "You're right. My bad." he said with a huge smile, revealing his almost unnatural white teeth that contrasted nicely with his dark skin.

The vice-captain then turned to his squad leader. "Shall we go, babe?"

"Of course, honey." Reika replied affectionately, her palm cupping his cheek.

Once more, the young couple embraced and their eyes closed as they locked lips with one another.

"Good lord, will you two just get a room already..." Kiyoka said, cringing as she watched Reika and Joshua acting all lovey-dovey like some love-struck teenagers. "It's like a damn romance novel..."

"What's that, my sweet little sister? You wouldn't happen to be jealous now, would you?" Reika asked, with a smug on her face. "Cos if you are, I can't have that kind of negative emotion during the mission. That will be problematic for the whole team."

"Me, jealous? Don't be stupid. I ain't jealous..."

"You know, I can't recall the last time I've ever seen a boy asking you out." The elder Matsuo continued her teasing. "You poor, poor thing. At this rate, it looks like Ash might end up having to play the role of a man for you."

"Do shut up, please…"

"Now, now, you shouldn't tease your little sister like that," Joshua said, as the vice-captain tried to be the voice of reason. "She's still young with a whole life ahead of her. I'm sure there's plenty of time for her to meet the love of her life."

As always, Joshua was the nice and thoughtful guy, hence why he was able to easily make friends with his fellow God Eaters and the support staff around the base. More over, he was a great example of a real gentleman, who was kind and courteous especially towards women. Perhaps, that's what made Kiyoka realized why her older sister fell in love with the vice-captain, who loved everything about him from his powerful muscular build like a maiden's fantasy to his irresistibly, charming smile. If things were a little different back then, maybe she would have fell for him and taken Reika's place instead…

Her eyes widened, and she quickly pushed the thought to the back of her mind. It made her guilty to even dare to fantasize about her sister's man. The last thing she ever wanted to do was destroying the bond she had with her older sister by acting on those feelings. For the fifteen years of her life since she had known Reika, she believed her sister deserves her moments of happiness, after the crap life she's been through when they used to live outside the walls.

* * *

"Captain Matsuo and Vice-Captain Marshall, the two of you are tardy as usual," said Major Maria Valentine, her green eyes remained fixed on the screen of her tablet, even as she heard Reika and Joshua entering the briefing room.

The Branch Commander of Fenrir America Branch was all about professionalism, if that white suit of hers was of any indication. She was a no-nonsense officer truly dedicated to her duty, which wasn't surprising given her strong military background where family members served in the United States Marine Corps before the apocalypse. The Major may not have been a marine herself, but she nonetheless shrives to live up to the standard, and expects the subordinates under her command to maintain some level of standards themselves.

Judging from the Major's tone towards Reika and Joshua, it wasn't the first time the esteemed Alpha Team leader and her subordinate had come late for a mission briefing, nor does she doubt it'll be the last time. Under normal circumstances, she would have chewed the two out like the stern, commanding officer she was. However, time was pressing.

"Have a seat, so we can begin."

Reika took her seat beside her younger sister on the bench, who had already gone ahead to the briefing room after their encounter on the roof. Joshua sat next to his captain and lover. Sitting just behind Kiyoka, were Ashley and the other two Alpha Team members, Rachel Jones and Daniel Alonso. Unlike herself, Reika and Joshua, Rachel and Daniel weren't exactly locals. Her two comrades were transferred a long while ago from the England Branch, and had known each other since their time there.

There was another set of benches on the other side of the briefing room, where the four members of Bravo Team had already taken their seats. Marcus Werner was the leader, a recent transfer from the Germany Branch who quickly rose through the rank and became the captain of the unit. His vice-captain was, Danielle Rossi, another recent transfer who came from the Italy Branch. Lastly, the remaining two who filled the Bravo Team rooster were the Irish twin brothers, Alex and Nathan Connor.

"Thank you all for coming here on such short notice," Maria began, as she finally looked up, her hand adjusted the rim of her black glasses. "Like I said on the message, you are all needed for an urgent mission. Without further add, let's begin…"

The Major made a gesture at the female operator sat at the desk beside the podium. The operator nodded, and was heard tapping on the keyboard. A moment later, the huge cinema-like screen that was mounted up against the wall behind where the branch commander stood, had lit up and many of the presented God Eaters in the room had their eyes widened.

It was a map grid of the West Coast of United States. There were numerous, pulsing red dots of various sizes scattered all over the grid – all of which indicated Aragami signatures as far as the motion sensors could scanned. Some were alone and isolated; others were in a small group. However, over at the Nevada region, lays a much bigger red mass that made the God Eaters of both teams felt alarmed. It was a horde of Aragami, they realized.

From geography study, they understood their branch was located close to the ruins of San Francisco in the California region. Nevada itself happened to be a neighboring state that borders California in the east.

"Oh, sweet Jesus…" Joshua was heard calling the Lord's name, as he rose up from his seat. Kiyoka had a glance over to Reika, who remained in her seat with her arms and legs crossed, showing a neutral expression on her face. Her older sister was rather calm, despite the situation.

"We've been monitoring this herd since this morning at eleven hundred hours," Maria resumed her briefing, after running a hand through her violet hair. "At first, the numbers didn't seem threatening. However, as hours after hours have passed, more and more Aragami have converged at the ruins of Boulder City."

It was then a satellite image was brought up, revealing Aragami of various forms among the herd. The most populated form of the Aragami, were the bipedal, hairy beast with a demon-like face known as the Orgretail, followed by dozens of giant ape monsters, the Kongou. However, the most distinctive of all the Aragami, was the tiger-like Vajra that stood on top of a rock, making a pose that clearly suggested it was the alpha of the pack.

"To put it simply, ladies and gentlemen. We cannot ignore this herd and leave it be. Whether or not it has any intention of heading towards our branch is irrelevant. It's a major threat that needs to be dealt with now before it becomes too problematic in the future. To that end, I'm sending out the two best units to handle this problem. Alpha and Bravo."

The Major stepped out of the podium, her hands behind her back as she addressed the God Eaters with an assertive tone. "Your objective is pretty simple, God Eaters. Go out there and put an end to this threat at once. It won't be an easy battle, given the size of this herd but I trust you'll triumph in the end. I wouldn't have picked your teams for this mission if I didn't believe you have what it takes to succeed. So prove me right."

As she observed around the briefing room to gauge the reactions of the God Eaters, she realized the majority of them looked motivated, all ready and raring to go. The squad leaders on the other hand, were seemingly composed.

"Are there any questions?" Maria asked.

After a moment or two, none of the God Eaters assembled in the briefing room had answered. As a matter of fact, they didn't feel the need to ask any questions. They were all seasoned warriors, who knew what the stake was and had fully understood what needed to be done to secure the safety of their city. The Major took their complete silence as a "no".

"Then finish your mission, and come back home in one piece. Understood?"

Having received their marching orders, the God Eaters of both Alpha and Bravo Teams stood up in attention at once, before they delivered a sharp salute at their branch commander, and shouted "Hooyah! Yes, ma'm!" in unison.

The helipad was bustled with activity, as crew-members prepared two aircraft for takeoff; a pair of military transport helicopters bearing the iconic Fenrir wolf head emblem on its hulls. Shortly after the crew-members finished their inspection and given the signal, its powerful twin-engines roared to life, followed by the deafening rotor blades.

"Hey, Kiyoka!"

Upon hearing her name being called out, Kiyoka turned on her heel, and saw the chubby, young man in overalls waving at her. His name was Carlos Torres, an engineer who worked with the God Arc maintenance unit. He also happened to be another good friend of hers like Ashley, whom she had met before joining Fenrir.

"You make sure you bring her back in one piece!" he shouted above the noise, referring to none other than the God Arc, which she wielded in her hand; a greenish-blue blade that happened to be the Knife, one of the most common series of short blade model.

"And you make sure to go on a diet!" she replied loudly.

As he did not appreciate her suggestion to lose weight, Carlos gave her finger. In return, she stuck her tongue out, showing the silver stud. It was all just a friendly banter between two friends.

Soon, the pair of helicopters soared into the sky, and set off towards Nevada.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

* * *

 **Mojave Desert**

Daniel's mouth was wide opened, the moment he peered through the binoculars. "There's like hundreds of them! Maybe even thousands of them!"

His latest estimate was greatly exaggerated however. Nonetheless, he did saw the countless bodies of Aragami prowling among the ruins of Boulder City, more than enough to overwhelm him and his eight fellow God Eaters in a straight up battle.

"Alright. I really hope whatever the skipper and that German guy had planned… is a good one," he said, lowering the binoculars as he had seen enough. "I don't know about you guys. But I'm definitely not looking forward to an agonizing death that involves ravenous beasts ripping me apart. No way I'm taking that one for the team…"

"Danny, man. Just relax already. You're gonna have a heart attack before you even have a chance to fire off a single shot at those Aragami…" said Joshua, as he tried to reassure his fellow comrade for the third time already. "As long as you do your job right, you're gonna be just fine."

As they made their preparation for the upcoming battle, the radio in their headsets crackled to life, and the voice of Reika was heard over the transmission.

"Alpha Two, Four and Six, are you in position?"

Joshua, Ashley and Daniel wasted no time answering back the Captain with their codenames and affirmatives. The Vice-Captain of Alpha Team, and his two fellow members were positioned on the roof a ruined building, overlooking the long concrete bridge with the dam in the background. All three God Eaters happened to be long-range support, as they wielded God Arcs in the forms of guns.

On the opposite side of the three Alpha Team gunners, lies another similar ruined building, where the Captain and Vice-Captain of Bravo Team were located on the roof. Like their three comrades from across the other building, the duo was also armed with Gun Arcs.

"Bravo One, here. Both me and Bravo Two are in position." Marcus was heard over the radio. The German confirmed his team's positions.

Lastly, the rest of the God Eaters, the Matsuo sisters, Connor brothers and Rachel were down on the ground, standing by the bridge.

Reika was satisfied once she heard the positive answers from both her team and Bravo's. She turned on her heel, facing her younger sister and Rachel, who were given a specific task as part of their battle plan.

"You two know what to do," she said, allowing her God Arc in the form of a white and green shotgun to hanged by her side. "Good luck!"

"I don't need any luck, big sis. I've got skills," Kiyoka said, resting her God Arc over her shoulder. "We'll finish this, and be back home in no time. Just you wait and see."

"Hey, Kiyoka."

As she was about to head down the road, she stopped in her tracks and turned round when she heard her older sister calling her out from behind.

"Yeah?"

"Don't get cocky. Stay safe, alright?" she heard her older sister say with a smile.

Clearly, Reika could sense Kiyoka was rather confident in her abilities. She supposes her younger sister did have reasons for her confidence. The younger Matsuo, who only joined the branch a year ago, has proven herself to be an exceptionally talented God Eater with a battle-proven record against various Aragami. While self-confidence wasn't necessary a bad trait for a God Eater to have, she didn't want her younger sister to become over-confident, fearing it could lead to her downfall.

"Noted." Kiyoka replied, nodding once as she acknowledged Reika's advice.

The moment they reached down to the entrance of Boulder City, Kiyoka noticed the nervous look on Rachel's face. The sight of seeing hundreds of Aragami up close weren't for the faint of hearts, even for a hardened God Eater.

"You sure this is really a good idea?" Rachel couldn't help but asked.

"We'll know soon enough." Kiyoka replied, stepping forward.

With a deep breath, she planted the tip of her Knife into the barren ground before she picked up a rock with her other hand. Rachel fixed her blue eyes at her, watching what she was about to do. Her arm pulled back momentarily before she lobbed the rock into the air with all her might.

An Ogretail snapped when it felt the object hitting against its head. The beast turned on its heel until it stopped the pair of human beings in the distance. Its threatening growl was rising. Soon, more and more of its fellow kinds became aware of the human presence in town.

"Fresh meat over here!" Kiyoka shouted, as she lit up a flare and held it high above her head. She looked like a beacon in the darkness, enticing the beasts in the surrounding area to seek it out. "Come and get some!"

Clearing her throat, she continued provoking the Aragami, drawing in as many beasts as she possibly could. "Alright, so we've got Japanese sushi here. And English black pudding there. They're so juicy and delicious. If you like, then come and get some!"

"I'm Welsh… you dumb hick…" Rachel corrected her fellow comrade, looking less than amused by her sense of humor.

Her feet moved involuntarily, taking several steps back when she noticed the mob of riled and hungry Aragami advancing towards them, their mouths drooling with saliva as they were eager for a piece of their flesh. "Uh, I think running would be a very good idea... like… right now…"

One of the Ogretails lets out a howl before it suddenly launches itself off the ground and lunged directly for Kiyoka. Her red eyes narrowed, and the smile faded from her face as she saw the beast diving towards her. Instinctively, she tossed the flare stick aside and yanked her short blade out of the ground single-handed in a reverse grip. Then, she swung her blade in a wide arc, and caught the creature in its right eye as it landed back down.

The Ogretail screeched with pain and staggered, crimson spilled out from the fresh wound of its injured eye. It was finally silenced when it felt the blade piercing into the back of its neck; its unarmored part of its body. As the beast fell, she pulled out her Blade Arc, albeit with some efforts. There was no time for respite, as she saw the horde of Aragami surging towards herself and Rachel.

"Run!"

Her heart was racing as she ran up the road. There were the sounds of hundred footsteps thundering on the asphalt behind her. She could feel the beasts breathing down her neck, as they were closing the gap.

"This is really a bad idea…" Rachel shouted, amidst the deafening growls and footsteps. The moment she spared a glance over her shoulder, which she wishes she hadn't, she saw one of the gorilla Kongous in pursuit, baring its razor sharp teeth at her. Cold sweats trickled down her forehead, and she quickly turned her head round to look back ahead. "A real bad idea!"

"Less talking, and more running!" Kiyoka advised her teammate.

As soon as an Orgetail gotten too close for her own comfort, she briefly spun round, and swung her blade to slash the beast across its demon-like face, stunning it momentarily. The Kongou that caught up with Rachel received a slab of her reddish Claymore – a buster blade with double edges - to the chin. She did not wait to see her handiwork, as the gorilla staggered and tumbled over an Ogretail, squashing the beast under its weight.

* * *

Moments later, the long concrete bridge had finally emerged into their view. They could make out Reika and the Connor brothers on the other end of the bridge, prepping their weapons. At the same time, the rest of their fellow comrades on the roof of their respective buildings, assumed their firing positions. Both women saw the cue, and ran with all their might towards the finishing line that ended on the other end of the bridge.

Joshua waited and waited for both Kiyoka and Rachel to cross the bridge, his hands gripped tightly onto the handles of his Type 203 Cannon with its huge bore staring down at the bridge. The tension grew unbearable at each passing moments. Then, at the very moment when he saw his two comrades have made it back safety in one piece, he did not hesitate.

A thunderous roar sounded as the blast gun fired, drowning out the monsters' growls, before a huge, fiery fireball launched towards the herd. The initial impact of the blast had a devastating effect, as dozen of creatures were blown to pieces, chunks of their bodies and pieces of concrete flew in the air before landing back down. However, the after effect had proven to be even more destructive as the cloud of flame spread further, engulfing many more beasts in its wake.

The howls of anguish from the Aragami sounded distorted and twisted, as they were being burnt alive. Some beasts frantically rolled over the ground, hoping to extinguish the flames, while others knocked into railings and fallen down into the depths of the lake below. The Aragami that were left unharmed ceased their advance, as they took a moment to gaze at the carnage behind them.

"Fire at will!" came Reika's order over the radio.

And like that, the trap has been sprung. The ignorant beasts have taken the bait, and followed willingly into a kill zone setup by the God Eaters.

The rest of the God Eater gunners saw the signal that has launched the ambush. In unison, they fired off their weapons, unleashing hell upon the surviving beasts on the bridge. Lines of discharging rounds made up of either blaze or divine proprieties, have interlocked and raked into the tight column of the kill zone. Soon, the air was filled with constant reports of gunfire and the dying bestial screams.

"Keep them back!" Reika shouted, as she fired her shotgun; the blazing pellets peppered the bodies of several Ogretails, causing severe wounds that kept the beasts down for the count.

Kiyoka and Rachel rushed in, and mercilessly executed the incapacitated creatures. Elsewhere, the Connor brothers worked together to take down a Kongou. The coordination of their teamwork almost seemed perfect, as their attacks synchronized without so much as speaking, and the gorilla monster was cut down in no time.

Since their comrades on the roof were the assault element – the heavy hitters who will do the most damage in the ambush, they on the other hand, were the security element, picking off any loose targets and ensuring nothing gets passed them.

"Like shooting fish in a barrel!" Daniel summed up the progress of the battle so far, his face lit up with a glee as he fired his Gatling Gun in short, controlled bursts, raining barrage of purplish energy projectiles that tear into several Ogretails. The man, who was pessimistic about their chances before, was now optimistic.

In only a few minutes since the ambush started, the vast numbers of Aragami within the herd earlier on, have drastically thinned down to half of its original size. The plan had worked like a charm, thanks to Reika and Marcus, two captains who were well versed in small unit tactics, and had figured out what they believed to be the best course of action to battle against the herd of Aragami. By luring the Aragami into a choke-point, they were able to control the flow of beasts coming at them.

Suddenly however, a new player has joined the battle. As she injected a vial of O-Ampule into her God Arc – the substance that refills the Oracle cells inside her weapon, Reika spotted a huge figure up on the mountain with the moon illuminated behind. Its amber cat-like eyes were staring menacingly down at Alpha Team gunners. It was the Vajra, she realized.

"Alpha Team on the roof! To your three o'clock, look out!" she warned her teammates over the radio.

The Alpha Team gunners heeded their captain's warning, and leaped out of the way in time before they were crushed under the Vajra's weight, cloud of dust billowed at the spot where the tiger beast had landed. Once the dust cleared, waves of tingling electricity began emitting out from the Vajra's body, the bluish energy rose stronger and stronger by the seconds.

Grunting, Joshua saw the immediate danger that the tiger beast had posed. His gloved hand had instinctively grabbed the arm of his closest teammate, Ashley, lifting the woman back on her feet before dragging her alongside when he jumped off the roof. The Oracle cells that flows through their veins, granted both God Eaters the superhuman strength to absorb the impact and land on the ground unscathed after leaping off a thirty meters tall building.

Daniel on the other hand, however, reacted too late. As he was about to follow his comrades in suit, he was struck by a powerful electric current, stunning every nerve within his body; he couldn't screamed his lungs out even if he wanted to, despite experiencing the excruciating pain. His collapsed body had plunged down to the ground, landing flat on his back.

Even after the fall, there was still life in the man's brown eyes. However, he was paralyzed with shock, unable to move a single muscle. His gaze drifted to the Vajra, creeping up to him, its huge figure shadowed over. At that point, he thought he had seen a god before him in the form of a tiger, looking down on him pitifully.

Before the monster could finish off its human prey, its cape-like organs were peppered with explosive rounds. The tiger beast growled, and leaped out of the way to avoid the second barrage.

Ashley continued firing her crossbow shaped Gun Arc, forcing the Aragami on the defensive. In the meantime, Joshua seized the opportunity to run up to Daniel, attending to his comrade's injury. He reached inside one of his pouches, drawing out a syringe filled with greenish fluid. Then, he stabbed the needle into Daniel's thigh, and within seconds of injecting the liquid, the man was heard breathing normally.

"How you're holding up, buddy?" Joshua asked, tossing the empty syringe aside.

"Feel like crap…" Daniel replied, lifting his back off the ground, and holding a hand at the back of his head, still feeling the concussion. The man had quickly recovered from his injury, thanks to the healing liquid from the syringe.

Suddenly, Ashley's scream alerted both men. As they looked over at their comrade, she was seen laying her back against the wall, panting as she pressed a gloved hand against the fresh wound on her rib where the Vajra had clawed. The tiger beast licked the crimson off its paw, savoring the taste of human's blood. It was about to charge at the woman once more, only to be stopped short when it caught the flash of a blade from the corner of its eye.

It was out of reflex, the Aragami jumped backwards, narrowing missing the tip of a blade that threatened to plunge into its eye. The monster then made a growl at its newest opponent. When Ashley looked up, her eyes lit up as she immediately recognized the bald eagle on the back of a black jacket. Her savior turned out to be none other than her good friend, Kiyoka.

"What's the matter, Ash? Getting too old for this?" she heard her friend say, taking a jab at her age. It was no secret within Alpha Team; she was currently the oldest member at the age of twenty-one. "I tell you what. Why don't you just carry on taking a sweet nap over there? I'll handle the rest for ya."

Even in her wounded state, Ashley couldn't help but chuckle. "You're too cocky for your own good, you know that?"

The older woman managed to stand back on her feet, albeit slowly and still in pain from the injury to her rib. "Thanks. I owe you one."

Kiyoka did not dared turn her head round to have a glance at her fellow comrade, not while the Vajra was still standing in front of her, seemingly angered over her attempt to injury its eye. The tiger beast that originated from the Eurasia continent was renowned for its highly aggressive nature, combined with a lightning agility to boot; she had no wish for her head to be ripped clean off.

"Josh, get Ashley out of here and treat her wounds, alright," she said, switching her serious tone back on. Her red eyes continue to fix on the Vajra, watching the Aragami for any sudden moves. "Then you need to get back in the fight, help my big sis and the others. This one's mine."

A quick glance over at the ongoing battle on the bridge was all the Vice-Captain needed to grasp the gravity of their current situation. He saw the struggle from the rest of his fellow God Eaters, trying to contain the remaining hundred Aragami still in the fight. Without the assistance of Alpha Team gunners, their attack has lost some of its momentum, and more of the beasts have poured through; it was only a matter of time before they found themselves completely overwhelmed.

Joshua had half the mind to refuse Kiyoka's suggestion, and joined her together in defeating the seemingly, formidable foe. However, there was something about the determination in the courageous woman's eyes, and how she coolly stood before the tiger beast that made him believe she may be capable of eliminating their primary target on her own. He realized his girlfriend would probably scold or punch him later on for not keeping that glory seeking younger sister of hers in check. But he was fully prepared to accept the punishment if it meant he had made the right call.

"Got it. You'll be careful, alright?" he replied.

Kiyoka gave the thumbs up. And shortly afterwards, the Vajra has lost its patience as it charged towards her. Her battle instinct kicked in, as she whipped out a stun grenade and bites the ring off before she lobbed it in the direction of the tiger beast. The moment the grenade made contact against the ground, it detonated: a bright, white light appeared.

The Aragami stopped in its track, having been blinded by the light. Then it lets out a howl when it felt an intense pain on its right paw. When it finally came to, its eyes shifted over to the right, and that's when it saw the black beast that had materialized out from the human's God Arc, munching away at its limb.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting. You must have been so hungry after all this time," Kiyoka said, directing her gaze at her God Arc's artificial Aragami. "Well, here's a treat for ya. One order of Vajra meat, coming right up!"

Out of panic, the Vajra tried to pull its paw free, only to be met with an incredible strong resistance that refuses to let go. In spite of its smaller size, the black beast appeared stronger than its appearance suggest, as it held the larger sized tiger beast firmly in its place. With its left paw, the Vajra swiped at the human controlling the Aragami, hitting nothing but air as she was out of reach. Then, a sickening crunch was heard. The piercing howl from the tiger beast caught the attention of Reika, who turned her head round.

Crimson spluttered out of the stump where the paw used to be. It whimpered in pain, after realizing its lost limb. However, a moment later, it roared in anger when it looked up and saw the God Eater, whose black beast was chewing a piece of meat. Its piece of meat!

Kiyoka remained unfazed in the face of an enraged Aragami. Her artificial Aragami retracted inside her God Arc. Then, she allowed the Vajra to come at her, and stepped to the side at the last possible moment to evade its attempt to pounce on her. Her counterattack involves her blade sinking into the monster's torso three times in quick succession before she retreated to avoid its tail swipe. The younger Matsuo then taunted the Vajra, making a beckoning hand gesture that read ' _Bring it_ '.

For the next two minutes or so, the fight had more or less continued the way it started, with Kiyoka dominating her opponent. The younger Matsuo had adopted a rope-a-dope tactic, which seemed to work effectively against the ultra aggressive Aragami without any strategic thoughts in its head. Again and again, she'd goad the tiger beast to throw yet another wild attack at her. Whether it was claw swipes or lightning bolts, she either dodged or blocked with her buckler with success as though she read the moves like an open textbook. In between the monster's relentless attacks, she managed to counterattack plenty of her own, her blade slashing or stabbing the tiger beast, causing numerous fresh wounds all over its body.

It was all part of her strategy to wear the Aragami out until a golden opportunity presented itself. And she didn't have to wait long for that moment to arrive.

The Aragami appeared evidently exhausted; its breath was slow and ragged, along with its sluggish movement. It continued to bleed from its wounds, leaving a trail of blood along the asphalt. In a desperate attempt of self-preservation, the tiger beast conjured a sphere of lightning in front, hoping it would distract the God Eater long enough to make its escape.

However, Kiyoka was no fool, as she already caught on the Vajra's plan, having noticed the tiger beast glancing in the other direction a few times as though it was contemplating its retreat. In order to get past the sphere of lightning blocking her path, she scaled up the scaffolding to her left, and ran along the platform at the very top. She caught the sight of the Aragami. Despite the head start, it didn't get very far, especially when it was limping from the injuries to its hind legs.

When she reached the end of the platform, she leaped off the building. As she was dropping down from mid-air, the black beast that resided inside her God Arc had emerged out of her will. With only a simple press of her thumb against its flesh, the artificial Aragami lets out a whine, and extended to abnormal length. She landed back down on the ground by the time the gaping jaws of her black beast latched onto the Vajra's tail.

It was a pitiful sight when she saw the Vajra using its only good paw left to claw itself forward. The once majestic beast had now been reduced to a beaten kitten, whimpering away.

"Quit your struggling, already," Kiyoka said, pulling the tiger beast towards her. "Just let me kill you. I promise to make it quick."

Her artificial Aragami retracted once the Vajra was within her arm's reach. Then, she stepped in front of the tiger beast, looking at its amber eyes, wondering what its last thoughts may be.

' _How could this puny human have defeated me? Maybe I should have left these God Eaters be and find my meal elsewhere.'_

Something along those lines was what she'd thought if she was in the beast's shoes. Sighing, even though she had only been a God Eater for a year, the Aragami still remains a mystery to her.

She couldn't help but noticed the battle over at the bridge had ended. There were no more reports of gunfire or the dying screams from the beasts.

"Alright, time to-"

Her eyes widened when the Vajra suddenly rose, growling as it swung its left arm over to her. It was by the skin of her teeth, she darted to her left that saved her from the most serious of injuries. However, the paw had nonetheless still grazed her on the upper right arm, tearing off a piece of her black denim jacket, along with the American flag patch. The younger Matsuo winced in pain for a moment before she began cursing loudly.

Rather than going down quietly, the Vajra was defiant to the end when it made its last ditch attempt to claw at her. While she may admire the beast's defiance, she did not appreciate the cut it made to her arm, and the damage to her jacket.

"You son of a bitch!"

She did not delay any further, as she buried the tip of her blade between the monster's eyes, putting an end to its misery.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

* * *

 **Mojave Desert**

In the aftermath of the battle, there were scenes of jubilation. Despite facing against an overwhelming size of Aragami herd, the God Eaters of Alpha and Bravo Team stood their ground and have reigned victorious in the end. The long, concrete bridge became littered with pile after pile of beast corpses; the ones killed much earlier in the battle were on the verge of dissipated into nothingness, as a result of having their cores destroyed, which leads the Oracle cells to lose their cohesion entirely.

Reika's lip curled into a smile as she stood and watched comrades celebrating in their own ways, whether it was raising their God Arcs in the air, giving one another a high-five or even a hug. She couldn't have been more proud at what they have achieved tonight.

Just then, she noticed her younger sister had returned, her blade hanging by her side while the other gloved hand carry her jacket over her shoulder. Even without the need to ask, she had already figured out the outcome of her duel against the Vajra; the beaming smile on her face said it all.

"Looks like we have won the battle," Kiyoka said. Her gaze drifted to the bridge where her fellow God Eaters has laid waste to the herd of Aragami. She made a whistle as she admired her comrades' handiwork. _'Damn, now that's what I called annihilation.'_

"So it appears." Reika replied, as she took out a pack of cigarette from her jacket pocket, and placed one in her mouth. "It wasn't an easy battle though, despite the appearance."

With her silver flipped lighter, she lit up her cigarette, and took a drag first. "We took quite a gamble with that plan, luring all those Aragami here. Had anything gone wrong, we wouldn't be standing here talking. Instead, we'd become chow food for the Aragami like Danny fear would happen. Glad it all worked out in the end."

"Oh c'mon, was the plan ever in doubt, big sis?" Kiyoka briefly pointed her finger at her older sister. "This was your idea after all."

"Not just my idea. It was Marcus too," The elder Matsuo corrected her, motioning at the Bravo Team Captain celebrating with the others. "His the one that suggested we use this bridge. It ain't all on me."

Unlike her glory seeking younger sister, Reika remained humble, sharing the credits of their victory with her fellow captain.

"Yeah. But you're the one who came up with it. And when -"

"The hell happen to your arm?" Reika cut off her younger sister with the sudden questioning, as she pointed her finger at her, fixing her gaze at the reddish handkerchief wrapped around her upper right arm. If it weren't for the blood trickling down from her wound, she might have been convinced the handkerchief was more of a fashion accessory than a makeshift bandage.

"Oh, this," Kiyoka shot a glance down at her makeshift bandage. "It's nothing. Just a flesh wound. It's nothing to worry about." she explained, in a dismissive tone as she downplayed her wound, hoping it would change the subject.

However, to her dismay, she saw her older sister still staring at her with that serious expression of hers. She suppressed the urge to scream in pain when she stepped closer and poked her on the arm where her wound was. But there was no fooling her older sister who saw the grimace on her face.

"Let me see." she heard Reika ordered.

A sigh escaped from her lips, as she obliged. She did not resist as her older sister untie the handkerchief, which she admitted was hastily done on the spot. Then, she noticed her eyes were widened once the gash made from claw marks was revealed, leaving a bloody mess on her skull and roses tattoo.

"Just a flesh wound, huh?" said Reika, with an incredulous look on her face. A moment later, she was left shaking her head. "You idiot. Stop pretending to be so tough. You need to get this wound treated before it gets any worse!"

"C'mon, sis. It really ain't that-"

' _Bad'_ was what Kiyoka wanted to say, before her older sister cut her off again by bringing her index finger in front of her lip, gesturing her to be silent.

"Medic!"

Joshua rushed over at once when he heard his captain calling out to him. Even without the need to probe for any questions, he already got the hint when he noticed the displeased look on his lover's face, and the gash on her younger sister's arm.

"Come. Let's get you patch up." His hand beckoned Kiyoka to follow his lead.

"Kind of wish she stopped treating me like I'm still a little kid…" Kiyoka said, referring to her older sister's overprotective nature of her, as she broke the silence while Joshua was currently treating her wound. "It's quite tiring, y'know. And… it's somewhat degrading if I may add." she finished her last sentence with a sigh.

Joshua remained quiet as he cleaned her cuts with alcohol-free wipe. The vice-captain simply smiled and listened attentively, allowing the younger Matsuo to get it off her chest.

"Sure, I got a bit careless at the end. I didn't think that Vajra would get back up and grazed me. But she didn't have to make such a big deal out of my injury… I mean… It's normal to get injuries in our line of work. And speaking of injuries, she should be showing more concern for Ashley and Daniel. Those two had it worse than I did… Why ain't she making a big fuss about them? Why me?"

"Cause you're her sister," Joshua answered the question for her, after a long pause to weigh his answer. "Her one and only younger sister. Of course, she'll be worrying about you more than the others. Including me."

Once her cuts had been cleaned, he began drying her wound with a clean cloth.

"Look, try not to get too upset about it. Your sister cares about you, that's all. She doesn't want to see you get hurt, ever. Yes, I know that may sound silly. Since she's a God Eater herself, she should accept the reality there's always a risk of you getting injured out on the field. But still… It's not easy for her to stomach that thought. Hell, if she had things her way, she rather you didn't become a God-"

 _Oh crap…_ Joshua cursed in his mind. He wanted to slap a hand across his forehead when he realized he slipped a private discussion between him and his girlfriend, regarding the younger sister herself.

"She said that?" Kiyoka asked, her eyes fell on him, as she waited for clarification.

"Um, no. I mean… It's just a gut feeling I had…" Joshua began stuttering nervously, trying to skirt around the truth. However, he had given up when his conscience got the better of him. Lying wasn't going to do him and the younger Matsuo any good.

"We had a drink the other night," he began explaining. "We were talking a whole bunch of other stuff. Like her future plan after she's done God Eating and so on. And then somewhere during the discussion, your name just happened to came up…"

He heaved a sigh before he continued, "She admitted that she didn't want you to become a God Eater in the first place, having to risk your life fighting those beasts outside the walls. Every time you're being sent on a mission, she fears there's a chance you might not come back home alive."

Pausing, he stared right back at the red eyes of Kiyoka's. "What she really wanted of you… What she truly wishes… is for you to go back and live a normal life. Spend more time with your little brother. Grow old together. Then someday, settle down with a family of your own."

A mixed of emotions filled Kiyoka as she learnt of Reika's wish. On one hand, she was fuming inside, believing it was selfish of her older sister for wishing she didn't become a God Eater. However, on the other hand, she was touched that her sister cared about her, and genuinely wanted what's best for her in life.

Once he cleaned and dried her wound, Joshua proceeded to put the finishing touch as he began wrapping a bandage around her arm.

"Listen. For the sake of your sister, just be… more careful in the future, alright? I know you're one hell of a talented God Eater. I didn't see the whole fight, but I could tell you must have schooled that Vajra. However, all it takes is one mistake, and it could be all over. So don't take any chances next time."

Just as the medical treatment was finished, and Kiyoka absorbed the advice of her vice-captain, the thunderous roars of helicopters' rotors filled the air.

* * *

The cabin inside of Alpha Team's helicopter was rowdy, as the God Eaters were still celebrating their recent triumph over the Aragami herd. A soft, rock and roll music played in the background, while comrades shared their experience of the battle. Soon, the pair of helicopters that carried the respective God Eaters teams flew over the ruins of Las Vegas, passing over iconic hotels and casinos that appeared surprisingly mostly in tact.

"Guys, shut up for a minute," said Reika. "The Major wants a word with us."

It was then the screen mounted up the ceiling, crackled to life before Major Valentine appeared. The expression on the branch commander's face was neutral.

"Congratulations, God Eaters," she began addressing the God Eaters. "You've all performed admirably. Thanks to your efforts, the citizens of our city can sleep easier tonight. Come on home, and get ready for the next deployment…"

For a moment, the God Eaters had incredulous looks on their faces. Then, the branch commander had her lips curled into a smile; an expression she rarely shows.

"Just kidding," she said. "You all get a well-deserved break first until the next mission comes around."

The squad breathed a sigh of relief once they discovered the Major was only joking around with them.

"Once again, well done, God Eaters. I'm proud of you all."

With that, the screen fade to black, and the squad resumed their activity from before the interruption.

Kiyoka couldn't help but noticed Reika, who appeared to be in an awfully good mood. For some time, her older sister had her eyes fixed down on the screen of a tablet, all whilst smiling. Out of curiosity, she shifted out of her seat to make her way beside her older sister, wondering what she was happy about.

A peek over at the tablet, and she noticed Reika was reading a mail. Upon closer inspection, the name of the sender happened to be Shinji, their younger brother of ten years old, and soon to be eleven in about a week's time.

Having noticed her younger sister sneaking a peek at her mail, Reika shifted the tablet towards herself. "Hey, who said you can read my mail? It's bad manner reading somebody else's message without their consent. You're looking forward to get your ass kick or something, kid?"

"Easy there, big sis. I was just curious, that's all," Kiyoka replied. "You seem plenty happy about something. And now I know."

Sighing, she leaned forward from her seat to stare out the window. "So, how's our little bro doing?"

"Great, just great. His doing just fine," Reika answered. "He does pretty well in his class. Scores almost perfectly on all of his tests so far. His homeroom teacher, Ms Parker sings him high praise, saying how diligent he is with his studies and so on."

"Yeah… That's our little brother, alright."

Kiyoka couldn't help but feel immense proud of her younger brother, whom she considered to be her pride and joy. And likewise, her older sister felt the same too, regarding the youngest sibling in their family.

"He sent me this poem that he happened to find. It's a pretty nice one," Reika slide her finger down on the screen of a tablet before passing the device over to her younger sister. "And don't you even dare think about scrolling back up and read my message. I'll kick your ass if you do."

Kiyoka took the tablet off her sister's hand. And heeding her warning, she refrained from putting her finger anywhere on the screen, lest she'll incur the wrath of the elder Matsuo. Her gaze drifted to the screen, as she read the poem aloud:

"Hope is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul

And sings the tune without the words,

And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard,

And sore must be the storm

That could abash the little bird,

That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chillest land,

And on the strangest sea,

Yet, never, in extremity,

It asked a crumb of me."

By the time she finished, Kiyoka took another deep breath, having been filled with awe after reading such an inspirational poem.

"It's beautiful," were the first words that came immediately to her mind.

Reika nodded a few times. "It is, isn't it? Anyways, Shinji's birthday is coming up pretty soon. And since I need to attend parent-teacher conference a few days before his birthday, I'm gonna go right ahead and book our one week holiday."

"Cool. So, what are you getting him for his birthday?" Kiyoka asked curiously.

She saw Reika reaching inside her jacket pocket, and took out a small rectangular silver case. When she opened the case, the content was revealed to be a fountain pen with a matching color, and beautiful engraved Victorian pattern.

"A fountain pen?"

"Yeah. Shinji always like writing, so I figure I get him this for his birthday. I forgot to put this away in my bedroom. I blame this guy for the distraction." Her finger pointed at Joshua.

The vice-captain appeared to be laughing, while Daniel seated next to him made a pouty face. She figured her boyfriend was joking around with his comrade. Or like the guys always say, just busting each other's balls for kicks and giggles.

When he noticed his girlfriend staring at him, Joshua smiled back at her.

"So, little sister, what are-"

Reika was cut off when a sudden and powerful explosion sounded from behind; the shock-wave rattled the cabin of their helicopter, nearly forcing the occupiers off their seats. Both pilots and the God Eaters became alarmed.

"What the hell was that?" Daniel asked.

Kiyoka jumped out of her seat, and slide the side door opened. Grabbing a hold of a handle, she shifted enough of her body to peek at the commotion behind, the wind billowing her silver hair. Then, her eyes widened, horrified at what she's witnessing.

For only a glimpse, the helicopter that carried Bravo Team was no more. Its entire body was engulfed in peculiar, purplish flames that quickly melted away its components at a frightening speed. The aircraft did not remain airborne for very long, as it descended and crashed into the street below with a deafening, clattering sound.

"My god…" she heard Ashley muttered beside her, as if she couldn't believe what had happened; she could hardly believe it herself.

At that point, Major Valentine's frantic voice came over the radio. "Alpha Team, report! What on earth happened just back there? We lost vital signs of Bravo Two, Three and Four!"

The God Eaters of Alpha Team were stunned as the cold truth struck them. It wasn't long ago they have fought alongside their fellow comrades from Bravo Team, and won a great victory together. The fact that the squad has all but been effectively wiped out seemed inconceivable. Like their worst nightmare had become a reality.

"Alpha One, here," Reika spoke into her headset. "We're trying to… Look out!"

Just then, a barrage of purplish energy beams soared towards the helicopter from the ground. The beeping sounds came on time to warn the pilot of the incoming danger from behind. Due to his quick thinking, he veered the helicopter to the right, avoiding the projectiles completely.

"Hang on tight!" The pilot shouted.

The helicopter made a hard left in order to evade the second barrage. It then made another defensive manoeuvre to the right when the third barrage came. For a moment, the aircraft had nearly succeeded in escaping the beams until one of the projectiles clipped the tail rotor, causing it to spin out of control.

"We're hit!"

The pilot fought desperately to maintain control of the crippled helicopter. The beeping sounds grew more audible in the background, drowning out the panic voices that had set inside the cabin.

"A-1 is going down!"

He repeated again two more times, before he turned round at the God Eaters.

"Abort the chopper, God Eaters! Save yourself!" Then, he turned to his co-pilot beside him and grabbed her by the arm. "And you! Get out of here as well!"

"But what about-"

"Just go!" he cut off his colleague. "I'm gonna buy you some time!"

Although the visor from her helmet masked her eyes, the co-pilot was clearly in pain. Her heart ached at the idea of having to abandon a colleague, who was willingly sacrificing himself to give others the chance to escape. But she knew it had to be done. Cursing herself, she removed the belt from her seat, and hurried her way over to the God Eaters.

* * *

Kiyoka grunted as she felt a slight throbbing pain in her legs. Even with her superhuman strength, she wasn't completely immune from the effect of plunging seventy feet to the ground. Honestly, the jump could have been a lot worse, if it weren't for the pilot who somehow managed to fly and keep at a suitable altitude despite the unstable aircraft.

Not long after she jumped out of the helicopter, the aircraft itself could be heard crashing somewhere into a ground, followed by the distinctive explosive sound. Once she spotted the flame and smoke billowing up the sky, there was no doubt in her mind that the pilot hadn't survived.

' _God dammit!'_ The younger Matsuo banged her fist onto a wall out of frustration.

When she looked around, it didn't took long before she make out the rest of her team further down the street. She did not delay any further to regrouped with her teammates. Upon reaching her squad, she noticed each and every one of them looked worse for wear as she did. The surviving God Eaters were still reeling from the unexpected turn of events that occurred tonight.

"This is Alpha One to HQ," she heard Reika speaking into her headset, albeit breathless. "We need an immediate extraction, over."

"What now?" Rachel asked, while she was comforting the distressed co-pilot.

Reika wiped the sweat off her forehead before she answered, "Whatever shot at us must still be out there. So we need to…"

A pregnant silence hung in the air, as the God Eaters stood and remained ominously silent, staring at the same direction; neither of them moved a single muscle or even utter a single word at one another.

There was a saying Reika had profoundly remembered from reading a book in an old library. _'Speak of the devil, and he shall appear'._ And indeed, the devil himself has appeared suddenly and unexpectedly in front of her, catching her and her fellow comrades by surprise.

Its skin was as dark as the night itself. Purple glow illuminated from the ankles of its four legs, long billowing hair, the inside of its pair of enormous pincers that strangely resemble God Arcs' devouring beasts, along with its blade-like tail. And last but not least, the sinister grin on its face. To the God Eaters, it looked very much like the devil incarnate himself.

The devil made an otherworldly cackling sound, making the hair on the back of a few God Eaters' necks stands up. Impaled on the very end of its bladed tail through his back, was the barely alive Bravo Team captain, Marcus Werner. He groaned as he looked up to his fellow God Eaters, crimson trickled down from his mouth as he weakly lifted up his arm. It looked as though the dying captain wanted to say something, but his strength betrayed him in the end. Then, his arm fell back down.

It wasn't until the lifeless corpse of Marcus hit the ground that Alpha Team had finally snapped out of their trance, as they prepared to battle this eldritch abomination.

"What is this? Some kind of Borg Camlann?" Daniel asked, prepping his Gatling Gun.

"Shoot first, ask questions later!" Ashley told her fellow comrade, as she fired off her crossbow shaped Gun Arc, peppering the scorpion-like Aragami with barrage after barrage of explosive projectiles; Reika, Joshua and Daniel had soon joined her.

While the Aragami held up its pair of pincers and shielded its head from the bombardment, Kiyoka and Rachel seized the opportunity to rush in and flanked the monster while it remained on the defensive. However, to their surprise, the Aragami appeared to have read their moves like an open textbook, as it sweeps its massive bladed tail in a wide arc.

By the skin of her teeth, Kiyoka leaped into the air, and escaped the deadly strike that would have most likely bifurcated her if it connected. Rachel on the other hand, wasn't as fortunate as her. Although she deployed her tower shield in time to block, the woman was nonetheless sent flying backwards, crashing through the glass door of an office building.

Then, the scorpion-like Aragami began its counterattack. Its bladed tail curved and pointed in the general direction of the four Alpha Team gunners. In a matter of seconds, a purplish energy ball was formed, and grew in size and intensity, drawing in the air. Then, the beam launched towards the four God Eaters in question. All four of them managed to scatter in time and avoided the devastating blast that would have incinerated their bodies into ash. However, a powerful shock-wave that came as soon as the explosion had occurred caught them by surprise, as they found themselves blown away.

With a heckling cough, Daniel was momentarily winded as though a sledgehammer had hit him in the chest. A moment later, he screamed out of his lungs as he felt the stinging pain in both of his legs. To his horror, he noticed the monster's pair of pincers has latched onto his ankles, and began dragging his whole body towards the gaping jaw in its stomach. His worst fear of being eaten alive by an Aragami was about to become a reality.

"No, please! Help me!" he was heard crying out for his fellow comrades, begging for them to save his life.

Kiyoka lets out a roar as she made a beeline for the Aragami, hoping to save Daniel from the jaws of death. As she leaped off the ground and swung her blade down to aim for its head, the monster raised its bladed tail. There was a metallic sound as blades clashed one another. While their blades were still locked, the Aragami dragged its tail across, slamming the younger Matsuo against a wall. The resulting impact caused her to spat out blood before she fell on her knees.

Gritting her teeth, she fought through her pain, and managed to lift herself back on her feet. Then, the brutal reality had struck her across her face, as her gaze drifted to the severed, bloody arm lying on the ground. With its gaping jaw in its stomach, the Aragami devoured chunks after chunks of her teammate's God Arc until there was nothing left more to eat.

The monster sounded satisfied when it finished its deed.

And just like that, Daniel Alonso whom herself and her fellow teammates liked to joke around with as he was the 'butt-monkey' of their unit, is gone… She'll no longer be able to tease him as she did before. And never again will she be able to see that pouty face in the flesh whenever his annoyed.

"Bastard! You'll pay for this!"

Enraged, Kiyoka rushed towards the scorpion-like Aragami, determined to avenge her fallen comrade. The adrenaline flowing her veins, allowed her to ignore the pain of her previous injury, and granted her the strength to fight the monster head on. She rolled to the right, avoiding the pincer trying to take a chomp at her. Then, she unleashed the devouring beast from her own God Arc that latched onto the right claw.

Shortly afterwards, Rachel had recovered and joined her at her side, her buster blade striking at the Aragami at every decent opportunities. The rest of the Alpha Team members supported their close quarters fighters with ranged firepower, suppressing the monster.

The titanic battle throughout the ruins of Las Vegas had raged on for ten minutes. The air was filled with multiple reports of gunshots and explosions, followed by the sounds of debris falling down and the otherworldly roars of the scorpion-like Aragami. To the remaining four God Eaters of Alpha Team, it seemed like the fight had lasted an eternity. Several buildings have been demolished in the wake of their battle, leaving huge clouds of flames and smoke that would last even at the break of dawn.

Kiyoka panted, as she took a moment to catch her breath. The Aragami in front of her had evidently suffered severe damage, its right claw had been mangled almost beyond recognition, and numerous cracks of various sizes appeared on its head and the body. Despite their struggle at first, Alpha Team had quickly adapted to the strengths and weaknesses of their opponent.

"Keep up the pressure!" Reika was heard shouting words of encouragement for her fellow comrades. "We can win this!"

Then, just as Alpha Team thought they had the upper hand, the Aragami quickly turned the table on its human opponents in only a split moment.

First, the monster swung its bladed tail downwards at Kiyoka, which she easily anticipated and dodged to the side. However, she was temporary blinded from the pile of dust that kicked up to her face. Then, its claw caught her around the calf of her right leg. She found herself lifted off her feet and swung into a nearby building. Then, it charged and rammed into Ashley, sending the woman flying backwards until she plunged and disappeared into a pool of water.

Its rampage continued as it went after Joshua next with vengeance on its mind, after the vice-captain's blast gun discharged a freezing shell on its left pincer, encasing the whole claw in ice. The bladed tail had found its way into his chest before the man could even think about firing off another shell. Then, a howl of anguish escaped from its mouth when its pincer shattered into million pieces. The one responsible for causing the monster's sudden agony had been none other than Rachel.

In his drowsy state, Joshua could have sworn he heard a voice calling out his name. The disoriented tone however, made it difficult to discern whom the voice belongs to. Eventually, his hearing had gotten better as the voice became clearer. His eyes felt heavy when he finally opened them. At first, the blurry face was unrecognizable, but his vision cleared up, and he saw his lover in front of him.

"Just hang on, Josh! Stay with me!" he heard her say, as she was rummaging through his pouches.

As he lowered his head, he saw the gaping wound of a dinner plate size in his chest. He was already losing a lot of blood, he saw. Stream of crimson had trickled down from his chest wound, and formed a small pool underneath him. Strangely enough, he didn't feel much of a pain in his body. His girlfriend had already used two healing syringes on him, and was in the middle of trying to find a third one. However, the substance did not stop the bleeding completely, nor did it close up his wound; he needed proper medical treatment in an ER room, something he doubted will happen anytime soon.

When he looked up, he could see Kiyoka was already back in the fight to lend Rachel a helping hand. Her forehead was bleeding, and she appeared to be occasionally limping, after her leg was bitten. And yet the younger Matsuo held her own ground with nothing but her sheer will and determination to kill the Aragami.

Grabbing Reika by her hand, the vice-captain shook his head.

"Babe… Do me a favor, will you? Go and get that son of a bitch…"

Those were his last words before the life faded from his eyes.

Her face was white and drawn, but she shed no tears as her lover died before her. It was not the time for her to grief, not while her younger sister and her fellow comrade had still needed her. Closing his eyes, she planted a farewell kiss on his lip before she picked up her God Arc and risen up.

"Josh? Is he okay?" Kiyoka asked, sparing a glance at her older sister before she returned her gaze at the Aragami, waiting for an opening to make her move.

There was nothing but an ominous silence from Reika. Her eyes were covered in shadow. The younger sister was about to open her mouth again, repeating the question one more time in case her older sister hadn't heard it. However, she didn't need to in the end.

"His gone…"

Kiyoka struggled for words, as she lowered her God Arc. _'No… This can't be happening…'_ she thought.

Joshua Marshall was like a big brother to her, who had looked after her and helped her settle down at the base. Whenever she was troubled about something, he was always there to lend his ear to her, and give her the advice she needed. Though her time with him may have been short, she nonetheless had fond memories of her vice-captain, as they fought side by side in countless life and death situations, sharing happy moments as well as sad ones together.

And now he was gone. All his dreams and hopes flickered away…

She snapped out of it when she felt the warm hand on her shoulder that brought her back to her sense. She turned round until she met the red eyes of her older sister.

"Now's not the time to be spacing out, little sister," she heard her say. "Listen, Kiyoka. And listen well. I'm gonna crave out an opening. When you see it, don't hesitate to take that chance, alright?"

Despite everything that happened in the last fifteen odd minutes, Reika remained composed. However, Kiyoka knew she was hurting inside just as much as she was, maybe even more. But her older sister chooses not to show her pain on the surface. The elder Matsuo did not falter and lose sight of her goal. Her dedication to bring a better tomorrow for the hundreds of thousands souls who entrusted their hopes to herself and her fellow God Eaters was unwavering.

When she saw the conviction in her eyes, Kiyoka decided to believe in Reika's plan. She nodded a few times to acknowledge her older sister's order.

It was then Rachel's agonizing scream alarmed both Matsuo sisters. The young woman's eyes were widened as a quarter length of the Aragami's bladed tail went through her thigh. Blood gushed out of her fresh wound, and she crumbled to the ground in a heap.

Having already lost many fellow God Eaters tonight that included her lover, Reika wasn't about to lose another one, not if she had any say in it. She gave her younger sister a nod before she wasted no time rushing over to aid Rachel, her hands holding her shotgun steadily at hip level.

Before the Aragami could deliver the finishing blow to her comrade, she lobbed a stun grenade in the air. The abomination howled and staggered from the resulting flash, tumbling over a signpost. As soon as the opportunity presented itself, Reika did not allow the golden chance to go to waste, as she unloaded a barrage of blazing pellets at blank point that tore through its already heavily damaged bladed tail.

Its limb was on the verge of falling apart. Purplish-red steams shot out of its body from various angles – the signs that indicated its Oracle cells have drastically weakened, and thus it was on the brink of death.

Victory appeared to be within the God Eaters' grasp, after a grueling battle against a new and formidable enemy they had never faced before.

However…

What happened next… took their breaths away…

Her throat felt constricted, as though a python had wrapped itself around her neck, strangling the air out of her lungs. The world had slowed down around her. She couldn't hear anything else but the audible ringing sounds in her ears.

She saw red. A thick geyser of crimson sprayed out into the air before splattering across the asphalt.

Except, the blood wasn't hers.

Her gaze drifted over to her older sister. Then, she looked back up on the Aragami, the fury burning in her eyes. She gripped the hilt of her God Arc with both hands, and charged towards the monster. Her screams could not be heard.

She saw the Aragami making a last ditch attempt to put her down, as it swung its tail across. However, she was faster and stronger. Her blade hit true, severing half the tail off. As the abomination staggered and thrashed around, the black beast from within her God Arc emerged and extended until it reached her target's head.

Then, it was all over. The Aragami's headless body lay before her. On the palm of her hand, she carried its core; a small bluish ball that gleamed under the moonlight, and seemed so fragile. Out of spite, she threw the core to the ground, and sank the tip of her blade into the object.

The ringing sounds in her ears finally stopped, and her hearing had returned. She stood still for a long moment, and heard her own breathes slowly but gradually calming down. Then, she remembered.

"Reika!"

Kiyoka found her older sister sprawled across a patch of grass, and stumbled over to kneel beside her. Her long silver hair was a mess, spreading out in the ground. The cropped black tee shirt she had worn was torn. There was a thick diagonal cut from top to bottom, with a matching gaping wound.

"Sis, wake up!" As she cradled her sister in her arms, she could feel her warmth fading in her hands. Her face turned paler by the minute.

Groaning, Reika's eyes opened at last upon hearing her younger sister's voice.

"Kiyoka," she said, very softly. "Is it over? You finish that Aragami?"

"I did…" Kiyoka answered.

"Atta, girl," Her older sister whispered. "I knew you could do it."

"Stay with me, sis! The chopper should be here pretty soon. The docs will get you patched right up. And you're gonna be just fine, you hear?"

Reika simply smiled. "I would have loved to seen Japan someday."

"You'll see it, big sis. We can go and see our family ancestral home together, " she promised her. "See if there's anything left of Osaka. Try out ramen. Take a dip in hot spring. Make a wish at the shrine. You name it."

"That'll be nice." Her weakly hand reached inside her jacket pocket, and then she held out the silver case containing the fountain pen gift that was intended for her little brother. "Give this to Shinji, will you. I'm not in any shape to do it myself."

"I will."

Her sister's hand fell as soon as she had taken the gift. She looked over, and saw the peaceful slumber on her face. Her throat tightened up. Then, the tears fell on her cheeks. She hugged her closer to her chest, and held her there for a long time, even as her two surviving teammates and the co-pilot had approached.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** The poem "Hope is the thing with feathers" comes from Emily Dickinson.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

* * *

 **Fenrir Far East Branch, 2071**

 **Four Years Later...**

Johannes von Schicksal stood with his hands behind his back, as he gazed through the glass that overlooked a wide chamber room bearing tears and wears over the steel wall and flooring. Particularly, his piercing, blue eyes were fixed on the young man that just entered the chamber. The boy in question could have been somewhere between fifteen to seventeen years of age, sporting brown hair and innocent blue eyes. He wore the distinctive Fenrir formal uniform that consisted of blue jacket with the trademark wolf head emblem emblazoned in the back, over a white shirt and black pants; it was the standard attire issued to recruits and still worn by some veteran God Eaters.

The Director of the Far East Branch skimmed over the recruit's profile one last time over the tablet. He was a local lad of Japanese ethnicity, as are many of the God Eaters who have been recruited into the branch. Some time ago, he used to live outside the walls during his early teen as a scavenger and has survived long enough to reach the city on his own. He passed the test for the potential compatibility match for a God Arc and was subsequently allowed into the city. And only a week ago after he was laid off from his previous job as a factory worker, NORN database had believed him to be a match for a God Arc. And not just any God Arcs, it was a rare and recently developed kind, which the Fenrir engineers are proud to call it their finest work yet and believed it could be the trump card they needed to turn the tide of war against the very monsters that has tormented and threatened their existence. The New Type.

Should this young man passed the Aptitude Test that awaited him, he'll be the first ever New Type God Eater to join the Far East Branch, and could prove to be a valuable asset to himself and the fellow God Eaters he'll be serving alongside in the future; it was an outcome Johannes can't wait to see it happen as it would further his goals.

"Final checks are completed, Director Schicksal," One of the support staff announced, while she was starring into a monitor and tapping around the keyboard. "All systems nominal. Our latest projection estimates this recruit's compatibility rate to be at 85%."

"Good, then let us begin." said Johannes.

With such a high compatibility rate, the Director seemed fairly confident of this recruit's success like he didn't believe anything could go wrong at all.

"Welcome to the Far East Branch," he began, his voice coming through the speaker. "This is humanity's last line of defense. Fenrir. And here in this chamber, we shall test your compatibility to join the Anti Aragami Punitive Force. The God Eaters."

Johannes stopped for a pause, as he gauged the recruit's reaction. The young man seemed anxious to say the least. It was as though he was having second thoughts about joining the God Eaters and considered the idea of running away. His nervousness was pretty understandable.

The Director could imagined the kid had never thought the day would ever come when a Fenrir recruiter would go knocking on his doorstep and hand him a piece of paper that demands him to undergo the Aptitude Test to become a God Eater. Instead, he thought he'd go on living his comfortable life inside the city with a modest job and nothing else to worry about. However, there can be no turning back. The test was compulsory, which every potential compatible candidates should have understood and accepted whilst living under Fenrir protection. And Johannes wasn't about to let this golden opportunity to slip away from his grasp.

"Please, do try to relax," he continued. "I assure you there is nothing at all to fear. You are after all chosen. We would not have picked you otherwise if we did not believe you could succeed. When you're ready, place your wrist at the device in the center of the room. And the test shall begin."

It took a moment or two before the recruit finally mustered the courage to step forward, and approached the reddish machinery in the center of the room. Upon closer inspection, he gazed in awe at the peculiar weapon laid bare on the table in front of him. It was a long black blade that gleamed under the fluorescent light. He also noticed the half circular shape of matching color between the blade and the handle, which resembled a shield. In addition to the shield, there appears to be the barrel of a gun sticking out on the other side. It was to be his God Arc - the instrument of tool for battling against an Aragami.

After a big, deep breath, he extended out his arm until his hand grabbed the handle of the God Arc, and his wrist was placed firmly on the half reddish armlet. Then, suddenly without any warning, the lid slammed down. To his surprise however, he wasn't in any pain. When he opened his eyes, he saw the lid had stopped short of his arm. Instead however, he noticed the top half of the armlet had attached itself to his wrist, completing it whole.

 _'That's not so bad.'_ The young man thought to himself, as he breathed a sigh of relief, his fears alleviated. However, his relief had disappeared as quickly as it had arrived when a sudden pain spiked through his wrist. To him, it felt as though a hundred of needles had found their way into his flesh. His pain however, did not end there.

What came next was a horror that shook him to his very core.

He heard the sound of an animalistic growl coming from inside the machinery. His eyes widened as he dared a peek between the gaps. The God Arc had been stirred alive. A blob of black flesh protruded out in the middle of the weapon, followed by a pair of amber orbs that resembled eyes. He saw a reflection of himself in the orbs, where his face revealed his scared expression. Another growl escaped from the flesh before numerous tendrils sprouted out and made their way inside the holes of the armlet. Terrified, he screamed and tried yanking his arm out of the device, but it was no use; the clamp had locked onto his wrist tightly. Nothing short of superhuman strength was going to break him free out of the lock. His agony had intensified further; he wanted no more than this torment to finally end.

"Oh no..." The support staff gasped, her face pale with horror. "Director... The readings have dropped off. At this rate, he'll..."

"What!" The Director had an incredulous look on his face, as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. He liked to have believed his staff member had simply miscalculated and was looking at the wrong reading. However, the inhumane cries that bellowed out from the chamber had proven him wrong.

 _'No, this can't be...'_

The Aptitude Test for the New Type God Arc should have been successful, which he expected to happen. Instead of the desired outcome, it had all gone horribly wrong, and now this young man inside the chamber was paying the price.

Johannes shot a glance to the staff members around him. "Shut it down! Quick!"

A moment later, the clamp that held onto the recruit's wrist had released itself, the lid pushed back up. The young man crumbled to the ground in a heap, writhing around violently as though something was tearing his innards from inside. What was once his own fleshy hand had now turned black and monstrous. The red armlet that was connected to his right wrist before has shown signs of cracks before shattering apart and hitting the ground in a clatter. Purplish fumes emitted as the black flesh slowly spread up to his elbow. He was infected. Without the Bias Factor which the armlet contained, the Oracle cells will completely devoured him, and then he'll turned into the same nightmare that has haunted humanity for the last few decades.

The rest of the staff members inside the observation room were horror-struck, their trembling hands covering their mouths, cold sweats trickled down their spines; it wasn't very often they have witnessed the severe consequence of a failed test right before their very eyes. They felt every inch of the young man's agonizing pain. A few of their colleagues could bear it not longer, and hu leave the room to escape the horror.

Sighing, the Director leaned his forehead against the glass, his eyes closed.

"Put a merciful end to that young man's life." he said, softly before turning away.

The hydraulics hissed as the door leading inside the chamber slide open. In came a hooded figure draped in a long blue jacket, stepping into the room. The attire almost made the individual resembled an executioner. In the figure's hand, he carried a large and thick sword with numerous saw teeth on one edge. It seemed beyond human to carry such a massive weapon with one hand, and walked with no difficulty. However, the individual in question was no ordinary human being, as indicated by the red armlet which every God Eaters worn.

The God Eater's face was revealed to be a young man of dark completion, with pale blond hair and icy blue eyes. He stopped in his tracks, just as the infected recruit managed to lift himself up, and remained on his knees with his back facing towards him. By now, the corruption has gone past his elbow, and engulfed his entire arm. Like wildfire, it had spread too quickly. The recruit to his credits, tried his damnedest to fight back the infection with his willpower alone. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't reverse his dire condition, and soon he'll lose everything that makes him human.

The God Eater took a deep breath, and then he raised his God Arc in the air, holding the massive blade above his head and pulled his arms back, ready to make a vertical swing. It was then he saw the recruit turned his head round and their eyes met.

"Save me..." he heard him begged, with the despair look on his face.

Clearly, he could tell the recruit had no wish of dying. However, fate can be pretty cruel sometimes, damning even those who didn't deserve it. After clenching his teeth and averting his eyes for a moment, he looked back at the young man. With a roar, he swung his blade down without any hesitation. Then, a thick geyser of crimson shoots up in the air instantaneously.

The recruit lay dead before him. However, his job wasn't completed just yet. There was still one final and unpleasant task he had no other choice but to do. Even with the lifeless corpse, the infection continued to spread, reaching out to the back of the body. He pointed his God Arc at the dead body, and soon the weapon changed form, materializing into a black beast. The artificial Aragami growled before lunging towards the fallen recruit.

Then it was all over.

"How could this have happened?" Johannes inquired one of his staff members back in the executive office. The Director poured a glass of whiskey for himself. Having witnessed the horrific episode moments ago, he needed the drink. "Are you most certain you've performed all the correct steps required for the test?"

"I did, Director..." The man answered, sighing. "My team had even double checked just prior to the test. You can take a look at the logs if you want. I assure you we did nothing wrong on our end."

"And yet the test still failed?"

Another sigh escaped from the subordinate's lips. "While it's true the candidate in question has a pretty good chance to succeed with his high compatible rate of 85%. I'm afraid it doesn't necessary mean his guaranteed to pass the test, sir," he explained. "There's still that 15% chance he could fail. And sadly on this most rare and tragic occasion, it did happened..."

After a swig of whiskey, the Director leaned back against his chair. His gloved hand rubbed his forehead, as if he was trying to soothe an ache. "I trust you have taken the necessary procedure to deal the aftermath of the candidate's death?"

"Yes, I have, Director," The staff replied, looking down on his tablet. "Fortunately, the candidate doesn't have any living relatives inside the city. It's possible he may have a few friends of his own. If they come here and asked any questions, we'll just say it was a training accident or he was killed out in the field. And the story can end right there."

"Good. Then pleased get to work."

Once his staff left the office, Johannes leaned forward from his seat, and laid his chin down on his intertwined hands, pondering in deep thoughts.

 _'I was so close...'_

Ever since the New Type God Arcs were developed a year ago, the Director of the Far East Branch has aggressively pursued compatible candidates from all over the world. Only one candidate so far has proven to be a match. He thought he had the golden opportunity right in front of him, only to be left quite disappointed when it turns out the young man wasn't the chosen one after all. He didn't know when another chance would come by again. Perhaps, weeks. Months. Even a whole year.

Sighing, Johannes realized he didn't have any other choice but to wait patiently for the appearance of the chosen one. He took one last swig at the whiskey, feeling it burning down his throat and settling inside his stomach. As the Director got up from his desk, and thought about heading out the office in order to retire to his bed, he noticed the green blinking light coming alive on the screen of his terminal - it was a signal that one of the operators was calling him. He wasn't in the mood to answer the call, but his responsibility as the Director compels him to do it.

The Director sat back down at his desk, tapped a button on the keyboard. He waited for the operator to speak up.

"Pardon me for the interruption, Director. But NORN has found another match for the New Type God Arc," The female voice said over the transmission. "I'm sending the data over to you, now. Please have a look, sir."

As he gazed at the screen, his eyes lit up, and then a smile crept up on his face.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

* * *

 **Fenrir America Branch**

Ashley couldn't help but gazed in awe at the vast expanse of crops that lay before her eyes. As she walked through the field, she saw all kinds of crops being cultivated: tomatoes, maizes, potatoes, cabbages, wheat and much more. She could even make out a flock of chickens in a coop, and a couple of milk cows by the barn. To her, it seemed like a truly miraculous sight as though the apocalypse had never happened.

She then stopped in her tracks when she found what she was looking for, the smile lit up on her face.

In the distance, there was a young woman working her sweats off, as she was cutting down wheat while fellow workers behind her tied the sheaves and stacks the bundles into stook. It's been four years, and Ashley was still able to recognize her appearance. Her distinctive silver hair and crimson eyes. Her good friend, Kiyoka.

Ever since the tragic night that happened four years ago to Alpha Team, neither of them has kept much of a contact with one another. Both women needed time for themselves, to deal with the grief in their own ways. And before they knew it, they finally moved on and underwent different circumstances that kept their lives busy.

Still, Ashley hasn't completely forgotten about her friend. She finally decided to go and see her for the first time in four years. After arranging her holiday and making the flight back to the America Branch, she was able to track her down at her workplace, whom she had Carlos to thank for. As it was meant to be a surprise visit, she approached her friend without uttering a word, waiting for her to notice her presence.

Then, at last, their eyes have met. Ashley saw the surprise look on her friend's face, as if she couldn't believe she was standing right in front of her. Up close, she noticed Kiyoka had looked mostly the same as she was before, with a few notable differences; she had grown her hair longer past her shoulders, and has roses tattoo instead of butterflies on her lower right leg, bearing a striking resemblance to her late older sister, Reika. It wasn't long before her friend became filled with joy, as she immediately put down her sickle and eagerly walked up to her. The two friends pulled in for a hug.

"Four years, huh? It feels like it's been longer than that..." Kiyoka remarked, as she made her way off the field. Her friend walked alongside her.

"So, how you've been, Ash?" she asked. "The last time I heard, you got transferred over to the Russian Branch. What it's like down there?"

"Cold. I tell ya. Very cold. It's like a nuclear winter out there." Ashley replied.

"Really? It's that bad?"

"Well... Not all the time I suppose. There are times where it can be quite warm and sunny. The folks down there are quite a friendly and welcoming bunch, despite the harsh environment they live in. Plus, a glass of vodka really helps in the coldest of nights."

The older woman shot a glance at her friend, her amber eyes drifted down to the sealed, red armlet - a clear indication she was a retired God Eater. "So, how's the retirement working out for you?"

"It's been great," Kiyoka replied, smiling as she glanced down at her armlet. "As you can see, I got myself a job at this farm, thanks to the Major who recommended me. It's not exactly an easy job, believe me. It takes a lot of hard work to feed the hundreds of thousands living in this city but the reward makes it worthwhile in the end."

"Yeah, I'm not surprised you're suited for farm work," Ashley said. "You did grew up on a ranch in Texas, if I recalled correctly. So you must have known a thing or two about raising crops as well as cattle. Anyways, I'm glad to see you're doing okay."

Pausing for a sigh, she could still remembered the day four years ago when she saw the back of her friend, after she chosen to retire as a God Eater. The brass at the time weren't particular happy the Director made the controversy decision to accept her resignation without protest, despite the fact the American Branch had lost seven God Eaters on that fateful night and were in desperate need of manpower. However, it was not a decision the head of the branch had made lightly, after hearing Major Valentine's assessment. The younger Matsuo back then was no longer in the right frame of mind to continue her duty as a God Eater, having lost her older sister. Both the Director and the Major decided to let her go out of compassion.

Ashley had always wondered if her friend could go on managing a normal life after her retirement. When she saw Kiyoka in the flesh after four years, she realized her good friend was seemingly happy with her new life.

"Say, Ash. Do you still have time?" Kiyoka asked, throwing her rucksack inside her pickup truck. "I was thinking if you're free, you could come to my little brother's birthday party."

"Shinji's birthday?" It was then Ashley smacked a palm against her forehead. "Right, it's his birthday today. Can't believe I've forgotten all about that. I'm so sorry. It's just that I've been-"

"Busy," Kiyoka finished the sentence for her friend. "It's alright. I get it. So, would you be able to come? Shinji would love to see you after all these years. Plus, there's beers and barbecue."

A smile lit up on Ashley's face. She simply nodded. The offer of beer and barbecue was irresistible.

Moments later, the two women arrived at a park. They could see a crowd gathered up ahead where the party has already started with music and games played in the background. The smoky smell of barbecue filled the air, which made their mouths watery.

"Ashley? Is that really you?"

Ashley turned round and saw the young man standing in front of her, his eyes and mouth were wide-opened in surprise. He shared the same silver hair and red eyes as her good friend. The young man was Kiyoka's younger brother, Shinji.

The older woman took a moment or two to study the youngest Matsuo, whom she had last seen as a small, eleven years old child who was only as tall as her legs, attending the funeral of his oldest sister, Reika. Fast-forward to four years later, she could see that child has now grown into a fine young man about to turn fifteen today. She was still a full head taller than him, but she reckoned he would close the gap in a few years time, possibly surpassing her height when he reached the prime of his life.

Without uttering a word, she stepped forward and pulled the young man in for an estatic hug. "Long time no see, kiddo! How you're doing? My, look at you. You're all grown up now."

"Yeah. Time does fly by pretty quick, huh?" Shinji said, returning her hug. "Great to see you again, Ash. You look different. Did you grow your hair longer or something?" The young man noticed her ludicrous, long layered brown hair, which he remembered, was shorter four years ago.

"Aye. I let my hair grow longer," Ashley said, running a hand through her brown hair. "Thought it'll be nice to have a change of style from time to time."

"It looks great." Shinji complimented.

"Thanks, kid."

While she was still clinging onto Shinji, the older woman couldn't help but noticed a group of his friends or fellow students staring at them. Particularly, a couple of females among the group were muttering and fixing her with a dagger stare as though they were jealous how awfully close she was towards Shinji. It came to no surprise for Ashley to know there were girls who had a crush on him; the youngest Matsuo was ravishingly handsome with long, dark eyelashes that made his eyes really stand out. He wasn't by any means muscularly strong, even his older sister had more muscles than he did. Still, she could see his slim build was somewhat appealing in an androgynous way. And for as long as she had known him, Shinji had a gentle and warm personality with a soft southern accent that sounded like honey.

Ashley broke away from the hug. The two friends, having reunited after four years, sat down at a table and spent the next ten minutes catching up after they spent four years apart, while also enjoying a meal of barbecued steaks.

"You're the student council president? Damn, it's no wonder you're so popular." she said, as she glanced around and noticed the large number of attendees at Shinji's birthday party. Not all of them were fellow students. Some appeared to be teachers or perhaps the parents of his friends.

"Yeah... It's funny though. I didn't really want to do it at first. You could say I was kind of forced into it. Thanks to these guys..." Shinji said, shooting an accusing glance at his friends in the nearby table, who smiled and waved at him. "But you know. Over time, I got over it. I took on the new responsibility. It may not always be smooth sailing, but I learn to embrace the challenges. And at the end of the day, it gives me a sense of satisfaction when I'm able to help others enjoy their time in school."

Ashley nodded a few times. "Well, you certainly have a knack for it. I mean you are friendly and considerable of others. Both the boys and girls like you. And speaking of girls... You have a girlfriend, yet?"

Shinji almost choked on his soda as he was taken aback by the sudden question. "Me? Erm, no. I don't actually..."

"Seriously, Shinji? A pretty boy like you, who's so popular in school and has all these girls fawning all over him, doesn't even one girlfriend yet? No, that's can't be right..." Ashley's eyes were widened in surprise. "Wait... Don't tell me... You swing the other way?"

"What!? No, Ash!"

It was then the older woman felt a boot tapping behind her back, and she turned round to see Kiyoka, who had returned from her toilet break. She saw the shadows around her eyes. Clearly enough, the eldest Matsuo didn't appreciate her attempts to put the younger half in a spot where he feels awkward or uncomfortable.

"Stop teasing my little brother, Ash." Kiyoka said, with a serious tone.

As usual, the older sister was rather protective of her little brother. Sometimes, Ashley thought that over-protectiveness was unnecessary. But most of the times, she admired her for it.

"Wow, scary! Okay, okay, I'll stop." she said, putting both her hands up in defeat.

Kiyoka took her seat across the table. "Where's Carlos? That fat boy is awfully late. Come to think of it, your vice-president isn't here yet as well. What's she doing?" She shot a glance over to Shinji at the last sentence. Her little brother simply smiled and shrugged his shoulders.

Speak of the devil, she spotted Carlos in the distance. He was still wearing his mechanic jumpsuit, which she figured he was coming straight from work. By the time her chubby friend made it to the table, he looked rather exhausted, breaking out in sweats and gasping for breath.

"Sorry I'm late," Carlos said, seating himself beside Kiyoka. He immediately helped himself to a drink, as his hands reached out for a plastic cup and a pitcher of orange juice. "Got held up by work."

Not long after Carlos's appearance, the vice-president herself have shown up, making her way over to their table after a chauffeur dropped her off. Shinji's subordinate in the student council had long wavy honey blond hair and purple eyes like amethyst quartz. She wore a dazzling white dress, which captivated some of the party-goers' attention as they turned their heads and fixed their gaze at her, as she passes by. Everything about her oozes class and opulence.

"Sorry for being late." she said, seating herself right beside Shinji.

"It's alright, Stella. We're glad you made it on time," Kiyoka said, sipping her bottle of beer. "Oh, by the way, this is my friend, Ashley Sanchez," her finger pointed briefly at Ashley. "She's a former squad mate of mine when I used to be a God Eater here at this branch. Ash, this is Stella Gunnarsson. A classmate of Shinji and also his vice-president in the student council."

"A pleasure to meet with you, Ms Sanchez." Stella greeted.

"Please, just call me Ash," Ashley raised her hand. "And nice to meet you too, Stella."

The older woman could smell her lilac perfume from across the table. More over, she could tell the girl has put in a lot of efforts to look her very best in the party with the glamorous makeup and elegant dress. She watched as the vice-president turned her head and nodded at her president, who was eyeing her up and down.

"Stella... That's quite a lovely dress you got there." Shinji complimented.

"You really think so? Thanks, president." said Stella, her face flushed slightly as she looked down at her own dress.

Once all the invitees had been accounted for, the birthday cake was finally brought out and set down on the table in front of the birthday boy himself. The candles were lit, and the one singing the happy birthday song happened to be Stella, after many of her fellow students talked her into it. For a moment, the party was mesmerized by her angelic singing voice, and applauded loudly when she finished. Shortly afterwards, the youngest Matsuo made his wish in silent and blew the candles' flames before the birthday presents were handed out one at a time.

Reaching inside her jeans pocket, Kiyoka slide a small leather black box towards her younger brother. Curiously, Shinji decided to open the box, and his eyes widened as the content was revealed to be an antique silver wristwatch.

"Is this..."

"Exactly what it looks like, little brother. A watch," Kiyoka said, sipping her bottle of beer. "Makes it easier for you to keep track of time. Plus, they say a watch makes the man. And as far as I'm concerned, fifteen is the new twenty."

For a long moment, Shinji was gazing in awe at the birthday present her older sister had gifted him before he looked up, smiling. "Thanks, sis."

"Anything for you, little brother."

Kiyoka watched as her younger brother went and play a double tennis match with his friends over at the court. It was only herself, Ashley and Carlos currently at the table. The three friends spent the time catching up while enjoying over a glass of coconut-flavored rum.

"So, what have you been up to lately, Carlos?" Kiyoka asked, sipping her rum. "Same old, same old?"

"Well, not exactly," Carlos replied, as he was checking the messages on his PDA. "I've been working on this new project that has the whole R&D department very excited. The New Type."

"The New Type?" she repeated after Carlos.

"Yup. Like the name implies, it's an entirely new category of God Arcs. The next generation," Carlos explained. "HQ developed it about a year ago, and it's only recently they sent the schematic over to our branch. The experts behind its creation believe this could be the trump card to turn the tide of war against the Aragami."

"So, what does this new God Arc do exactly?" Ashley asked, finding herself intrigued by the idea of a new weapon. "Does it make the God Eater stronger and faster?"

"Theoretically, yes," Carlos replied. "Test results indicate the New Type God Arcs have a higher average potential than the previous generation. However... It's not that simple. The user doesn't just become stronger and faster overnight. According to the reports, the few New Type God Eaters that were recruited so far have had trouble using their God Arcs. So, it's going to take a while for those recruits to adapt and unlock its true potential."

"That sounds... interesting." Kiyoka remarked. Even though she has retired as a God Eater, the eldest Matsuo had nonetheless made it her habit to catch up with news and any latest development from her old branch as well as the others, who were still fighting the good fight for humanity's sake.

"It's going to be awesome, I tell ya. Can't wait for our branch to receive its first New Type recruit," The engineer said, as he took a bite of steak.

As Kiyoka looked back at the tennis game, she realized her younger brother has been at it for quite some time. The intensity of the game had sweats trickling down from his forehead, in addition to breathing pretty hard.

"Shinji!" she shouted. "Take it easy, little brother."

Wiping the sweats off his forehead, Shinji looked back at his older sister, and gave her the thumbs up to reassure her. Gripping the handle of his racket tightly, he waited for his opponent to make his serve. When he did, the youngest Matsuo swung his racket in time to return the ball across the net. The rallying between both teams was intense; neither side was going to make it easy for the other one to win the point. The spectators were cheering loudly; Stella in particular, wanted Shinji and his partner to win more than anyone else in the crowd.

Then finally, the game came to an abrupt end. It was with a powerful return, Shinji won the winning point as the ball guides its way past the opposition player, who had a lapse of concentration and thus, was unable to react in time. The jubilant partner beside him, ran up to him, and was about to give him a pat on the back until he noticed something was wrong with him.

"Shinji, dude, are you okay?"

Shinji did not respond. His breaths became rapid and heavy. His hand clutched onto his chest. Dropping the racket on the ground, he tried to maintain his balance, but his strength betrayed him in the end. As he fell backwards, his partner was able to duck down and grab a hold of him before he could hit head first into the ground. The last thing he saw was the frantic face of his older sister before his vision darkened.

Out in the hallway before the operating room, Kiyoka was anxiously waiting news of her younger brother's operation. She wasn't alone though. Ashley, Carlos and Stella have decided to accompany her to the hospital. Each of them praying and hoping for Shinji. The agonizing wait that lasted for hour or a little more was finally over, and the surgeon himself had stepped out of the room all cleaned up. What appeared to be an administrator was walking alongside him. The eldest Matsuo and her friends stood up from their seats, bracing themselves for what they were about to hear.

"I've got some good news... and then some bad news about your younger brother." The surgeon said, his hands in his lab coat pockets as he directed his gaze at Kiyoka.

"The good news... We were able to stabilize his condition for the time being. As for the bad news however... " He took a moment to pause for a sigh before he continued. "I spare you the complicated detail, Ms Matsuo. Your brother's heart is no good." The man shook his head as to emphasize his point. "He will need a heart transplant pretty soon, or else he won't live for much longer."

Kiyoka needed a moment to compose herself, after hearing this shocking news. She always knew her younger brother had a weak heart ever since his birth. But then, she thought the problem had been mitigated over the years. She was dead wrong.

"Alright. Umm. Let's do that then." she said.

The administrator beside the surgeon, tapped around the screen of her tablet. "Fortunately, we do have a list of donors who are a match for your brother, Ms Matsuo. If we can get the matter of payment sorted out first, his good to go."

"Payment? What payment?" Kiyoka asked, with an incredulous look on her face.

"This surgery isn't free, Ms Matsuo. And it sure won't come cheap either," The woman explained. "It cost money to provide healthcare, especially for a complicated procedure like heart transplant. Fortunately, we're not going to ask you to give the full payment right away. But we will need a deposit upfront first."

"How much?"

Without saying a word, the administrator flipped her tablet around, allowing Kiyoka to see the screen herself. Her eyes widened once she saw the figures.

"Is this a joke!? There's no way I can afford that amount!"

The woman sighed as she flipped the tablet back around. "Well, I'm sorry, Ms Matsuo. But like I said, it doesn't come cheap. Perhaps, you might want to consider the other option..."

"Yeah? And what option is that?" Kiyoka asked, her tone sounded more angry and frustrated than before. She was on the verge of losing her patience with this administrator, who was seemingly lacking sympathy for her younger brother's critical condition.

"Perhaps, it would be best for you to let it be. Just spend the time with your little brother, making him comfortable and happy until his last-"

That was the last insult the woman could drew out of her breath before she suddenly found herself slammed against the wall. She felt the eldest Matsuo's strong hand gripped around her neck, strangling the air out of her. The surgeon attempted to intervene, but he was easily brushed aside with a backhanded punch to his face, flooring him to the ground. Not even Kiyoka's closest friends were able to calm her down from the boiling rage coursing through her veins.

Moments later, security have arrived to deal with the chaotic situation in the hallway. It took at least three men to drag Kiyoka away from the administrator, while the others held Ashley and Carlos back from the scuffle.

"Get her out of here!" The surgeon shouted.

"That won't be necessary." Another voice said.

Kiyoka stopped her screaming and struggling, as she turned round in the direction of the new voice. Her mouth was wide opened as she immediately recognized one of the two encroaching figures. It may have been four years, but Major Maria Valentine hasn't changed much compared to the last time she saw her. The blond-haired man beside her on the other hand, she didn't know him. However, there was something familiar about him like she had seen him somewhere before.

"Director Schicksal?" she heard Carlos saying out the name of the man himself.

It then hit Kiyoka on her mind when she finally remembered who he was; she doubt there was a single Fenrir personnel or former ones in any branches, who hasn't learned the names of the organization's founding fathers. Johannes von Schicksal happened to be one of them, and perhaps the most well known of them all. He was a leading expert on Aragami research, according to an article she read before. More importantly, he was the head of the Far East Branch. His sudden presence before her, was most unexpected; Ashley and Carlos was as much surprised as she was.

"Director Schicksal of the Far East Branch is here to see you, Matsuo." said the Major, gesturing the guards to release Kiyoka. "He has a proposal for you."

"My little brother is dying somewhere inside that room, Major," Kiyoka said, her finger pointed briefly at the operating room. "I'm not in any mood for-"

"I believe I could remedy that for you," Johannes spoke, stepping forward. "Please allow me to have five minutes of your time, Ms Matsuo. I can assure you this unique opportunity I'm about to offer is worth your while."

A moment later, Kiyoka and Director Schicksal were sat in a conference room, where they could have their private meeting. One of the hospital staff members placed cups of coffee in front of the two respective guests before she quietly left the room.

"Sorry to hear about your little brother," The Director said, as he offered his sympathy. "I know you must be going through a difficult time. I can only hope and pray for your brother's quick recovery."

"Thank you, Director...Swigsalt, was it?" Kiyoka replied, having trouble pronouncing the Director's German surname.

"Schicksal." Johannes corrected, emphasizing the "chick" and "sal".

"Director Schicksal. Thank you. Now, what do you want with me?" The eldest Matsuo asked, bluntly.

Before he answered her question, the Director of the Far East Branch picked up his cup of coffee, sipping the hot beverage.

"We're both pressed for time. So I'll get straight to the point, Ms Matsuo. Or should I say, Kiyoka. May I call you by your first name?"

Kiyoka folded her arms in front of her chest. She didn't particular care whether the Director addressed her on a first or last name basis. All she wanted, was for the meeting to be over and done with. Johannes took her silence for a yes. Putting down his cup of coffee, he leaned forward from his seat, resting his chin against his intertwined hands, his piercing blue eyes staring into her crimson's.

"I want you, Kiyoka. To rejoin the Anti-Aragami Punitive Forces. The God Eaters. Specifically, I want you to become the first New Type God Eater of the Far East Branch."

As soon as the proposal was revealed, she was stunned. She opened her mouth, but the words did not form. Instead, she remained quiet and listened attentively to the Director, who resumed the summary of his offer.

"In return, I shall make the necessary arrangement for your brother to have his surgery, including the payment for any of the expenses he may need after his surgery."

Once Johannes finished, he leaned back against his seat, and picked up his cup of coffee for another sip or two, feeling the warm caffeine down his throat. He decided to give his potential candidate a break, allowing her the time for his offer to sink in.

"Why me, Director Schicksal?" Kiyoka asked, after a deep breath. "Of all the candidates you could have found at your own branch or some other one, why would you need a has-been like me to come back as a God Eater?"

The Director took another sip of coffee before he set the cup back down and leaned forward from his seat again, this time his clenched hands were resting on the table rather than his chin.

"To tell you the truth, candidates for the New Type God Arcs are quite rare," he began explaining. "It's not very often we could pick up on those who are compatible for our latest invention. I'm sure you can understand my eagerness to bring you back in the fold once I learn you were a match. More over, my scientists back at the branch are rather confident you will succeed the test. Your compatibility rate is very high, according to an analysis on your recent blood sample."

 _'More than that other candidate at least.'_ Of course, Johannes had no wish to say his thought out loud. To him, it was rather unnecessary information, which this candidate sitting in front of him didn't really need to know.

"I also read the dossier about you. Even though your time with your local branch may have been short, you nonetheless have an exemplary service record. Your old commander also regards you pretty highly. She said that you and your older sister were quite the dynamic duo, if I recalled."

The mere mention of her late older sister gave Kiyoka a pause, as she lowered her head and pondered in deep thoughts. There's not a single day that goes by where she has forgotten or misses her beloved sister, Reika.

"My condolences for your loss," The Director said, having noticed her silence. "The Major also speaks fondly of your sister. It's a terrible shame for the organization to lose such a young and talented warrior."

A quick glance at his wristwatch, and he realized a little more than five minutes have already passed. He decided to end the meeting, as he stood up from his seat and fixed his tie.

"I said my piece. Now it's up to you to decide," he said, his gloved hands inside his coat pockets. "You can choose to accept this gift that I'm offering you or you can choose to deny it. That's your choice. I don't expect an answer right away. But neither can I afford to wait long. I'm due to fly back to the Far East Branch tomorrow night. Before then, I wish to hear your answer."

With that, Johannes head towards the door. "Take care. Until we meet again."

As he was about to turn the knob, the Director stopped in his tracks when his candidate was heard finally speaking up again after her long silence.

"Wait," he heard her say. "Wait," she repeated for the second time.

Johannes turned round in time to meet her eyes that were filled with determination. Compare to the distraught young woman he saw moments ago in the hallway, who was facing her despair at the thought of losing her only family member, she appeared rejuvenated, as though she had found her purpose and motivation.

"I'll do it."

* * *

 **Author Note:** Sorry about the long wait for those who have read and kept up with the story. It took longer than I expected. Work and other commitments in real life can be a real pain in the ass sometimes. And then there's the matter of overcoming writer's block.

Anyways, I was originally planning to make this chapter longer with a few more scenes that I had in mind. Most notably, instead of the tennis match, the idea was for the gang to attend a football game at a fully packed stadium that involves Stella singing the national anthem before the match. And after hearing Director Schicksal's proposal, Kiyoka would return home and ponder over it. She would look at a photo of Reika, and wondered what her late older sister would do if she was in her shoes. But I decided to leave them out.

I wanted to focus on a certain amount of world-building in this chapter, showing how much of a safe haven the American Branch really is, where you have ordinary folks living in nice homes with white picket fences and lawns, kids playing out the park, have access to clean water and electricity. Basically, the kind of life before the apocalypse: the American Dream.

Hopefully, the next chapter should pick up the pace.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

* * *

 **Fenrir America Branch**

"I still can't believe you're going through with this..." Ashley said, as she leaned her back against the wall with her arms folded in front of her chest.

Kiyoka, who was packing her clothes and belongings into a luggage, lets out a sigh when her friend continued her skepticism from last night at the hospital, regarding her decision to rejoin the God Eaters program. "Ash, please... We've gone through this already, and I really don't want to get into another argument with you. I made my choice. It's done. Now, let me live with it."

The older woman shook her head. "Kiyoka... my friend. I get why you're doing it. It's just that... It's too sudden, y'know? You had such a good thing going for you here. You got uh... A nice home with a front porch and everything. You're making a good honest living with your farm work. And now, you have to give up on all that... I just wish there was another way..."

"I wish there was another way too, Ash..." Kiyoka said, softly. "I wish there was a choice that can make everyone happy. But there's none..." Closing her eyes, she heaved another sigh. "You can only play the hand you're dealt with. This is how it's always been for the last nineteen years of my life."

Once she finished packing, Kiyoka sat herself down over at her desk. She was exhausted, and she felt all of her bones aching. As she looked herself into the mirror, she saw the bags under her eyes and her messy hair, having not slept last night. She was with Shinji, watching from the other room as the surgeon performed the heart transplant on her little brother. And it was only after the operation had been completed, where she subsequently received the good news of its success, did she breathed a sigh of relief.

She was grateful for the fact her little brother had been spared and given a new lifeline, thanks to Director Schicksal who agreed to immediately foot the bill for the surgery after their meeting yesterday. Now it was her turn to fulfill her end of the bargain by becoming a God Eater once more at the Far East Branch. To her, it was a small price to pay in order for Shinji to live.

Ashley sat down on her friend's bed. The older woman reached inside her duster, and took out the bottle of coconut-flavored rum they had at Shinji's birthday party. She took a swig before passing the bottle over to her friend, who accepted her drink.

"I still don't much like this idea of you up and leaving like that. But..." Her gaze fell on the tabletop picture frame on the desk, which contained a family photo of a young Shinji who was still a child. Kiyoka flanked him to his left, and to his right, was Reika. "I respect your wish. Guess you gotta do what you gotta do to look after your own family."

"Thanks, Ash." It was all Kiyoka needed to hear. And with that, the two friends buried the hatchet and came to a mutual understanding with one another. She took a swig of rum, feeling the bitter yet sweet sensation settling inside her stomach.

"You don't fly out until tomorrow afternoon, right? Get some rest," Ashley advised her friend. "Won't do you any good if you end up collapsing and missing your plane. Stella is with your little brother in case he wakes up. Carlos says his coming over to make dinner. And if you want, I can pay a visit to that farm you work at, and explain to your boss what happened."

"No... This is something I gotta do myself," Kiyoka said, turning round to face Ashley. "I'm going to take a nap first, and then I'm going to sort out everything by today. But thanks, Ash. I really appreciate that."

A smile lit up on her face. She really blessed to have good and caring friends who stood by her side when she's facing a difficult time. It gave her the strength and the motivation to overcome the next obstacle that comes her way.

"Oh don't mention it. How long have we known each other? You're like a sister of mine. If there's anything I can do for you, then you need only to ask."

"Actually, there is something you can do for me," Kiyoka said, willing to take her friend up on offer. She ran a hand through her long silver hair that reaches past her shoulders. "My hair's getting too long."

The gang arrived at the graveyard the next day. It was a lovely walk as they felt the warm glow of the sun bathing the entire city, and the occasional blowing wind against their cheeks. They stopped before a black granite gravestone. The inscription of the gravestone read:

 _'In loving memory of_

 _A devoted daughter and sister_

 _Reika Matsuo_

 _March 3rd 2048 - April 13th 2067_

 _Fenrir America Branch, Captain of Alpha Team_

 _Whose leadership and courage is an inspiration to us all_

 _May she rest in peace.'_

Kiyoka stepped forward and bend her knee before the graves of Reika. She had her hair cut shorter to chin-length like how it was four years ago, as well as wearing her old cropped black denim jacket that she left hanging in the closet all this time. The younger Matsuo started paying tribute to her late older sister, as she laid down fresh flowers, poured a glass of tequila, and lit up a cigarette. By the time she finished, her forehead was leaned against the headstone.

 _'Thanks for everything, big sis. I'll take it from here.'_

After paying her respect, she stood up, and walked back to her friends. Her hand reached inside her jacket pocket, and took out a small rectangular silver case along with a folded piece of note.

"Stella, I need a favor from you," she said, as she extended the items out for the young woman. "When Shinji wakes up, can you give these to him for me?"

The moment she laid eyes on the silver case, Ashley remembered. It was the present Reika had intended for her younger brother's eleventh birthday; a fountain pen. The eldest Matsuo never had the chance to give her present, as she died a week before. It was instead entrusted to her younger sister, who had waited until now to hand over the gift.

 _'Better late than never.'_ she thought.

Stella nodded, and took the case and note off Kiyoka's hands. With that, Kiyoka patted the young woman on her shoulder before she hugged Ashley and Carlos. There wasn't any need for the three friends to say goodbye; they were convinced they would see each other someday. Satisfied, she began departing the graveyard.

"Give us a mail when you get there!" Carlos called out.

Without turning round, she raised her hand in the air to acknowledge her friend's message.

When she reached the gate, a black car awaited her. Sitting inside the passenger seat at the back, happened to be her former branch commander, Major Valentine. Although the Major was naturally a very busy woman, who had her duties to fulfill, her old supervisor was willing to make the time to escort her until she gets on the plane to the Far East Branch.

The Major lowered her PDA, as she heard Kiyoka entering the car and sitting beside her. "Take us back to base," she told the driver before she shot a glance at her former student. "I take it, you have handled everything on your end?"

"I did, Major," Kiyoka replied. "Told my boss, Randy about my current situation yesterday. He was disappointed, but nonetheless he understood. I even stopped by Shinji's school this morning and kept his teacher updated on his current condition. Then, I paid a visit to the hospital and saw my baby brother one last time..."

Sighing, she looked at her old supervisor. "I'm sorry, Major."

"Sorry for what?" Maria appeared puzzled by her sudden apology.

"You took a lot of heat for me when you signed that paper and had discharged me four years ago, even though the branch was short handed as it was back then. I was supposed to enjoy my freedom, leading a normal life because you made it possible. And now all of the sudden, I went back and became a God Eater again..."

The former branch commander crossed her legs, resting her intertwined hands on her belly. "It can't be helped, right? You wanted to save your brother. So you took the option that you thought was the best course of action. I'm not going to hold it against you for that. It's what anyone else would have done if they were in your shoes."

Truth be told, even if it weren't for the desperate situation that the little brother needed the surgery, Major Valentine had a sneaking feeling Director Schicksal would have found another means to get Kiyoka on board. She'd tried to argue with the Director of the Far East Branch, pointing out her former student had already retired and should not be obligated to return to service, even if she was a match for the New Type God Arc. But the man was nonetheless persistent. She could sense he wasn't about to allow a rare gem to slip away from his grasp, no matter what.

"Just be careful down there, Corporal Matsuo," The Major warned her former student. "It's a whole new ball game. They call the Far East Branch the front line for a good reason. I know this myself because I used to serve there at one time in my younger days. You're going to be seeing a lot more action than you ever have at back home."

"Well, thanks for the heads up, Major," Kiyoka replied. It was still unreal to her that she'll be visiting her ancestral homeland for the first time ever; it was a trip she and Reika had always planned to see someday. Though her sister may have been gone, her soul still lives on, and she was going to make one of her dreams become a reality.

"So, you got any piece of advice for your old student?"

"There is. It's the best one that I can currently think of," Maria answered, shifting her head until her green eyes met with her former student's red.

"Survive."

* * *

 **Fenrir Far East Branch**

Director Schicksal watched as the lights in the room opposite of the glass had crackled to life. Countless young men and women had entered this chamber before him, their screams echoing throughout the steel walls as they lend their flesh and blood for the greater good of mankind. Today, another one of humanity's finest daughters will rejoin the good fight, not long after her plane had touched down at the airport yesterday. She was to become the sword in the darkness once more, who would usher in a new dawn for all of the mankind.

"Terribly sorry to have kept you waiting," he began speaking through the intercom, his piercing blue eyes followed the recruit.

The recruit herself stepped forward. She wore the standard green formal uniform issued to female God Eater trainees, consisting of a jacket with matching pair of boots, along with black shorts and knee-high socking. Her crimson eyes scanned the chamber left and right before they were fixed on the workbench in the center of the room. She stopped in her tracks, and stared down at her new God Arc that lay bare on the table in front of her; the fluorescent light reflected off the long black blade.

"Welcome to the Far East Branch. I'm glad to see you have made it here. Now, we shall test your God Arc compatibility and your potential to rejoin the Anti-Aragami Punitive Forces. The God Eaters. Your armlet has already been unsealed. All that's left for you to do, is grab a hold of that God Arc whenever you're ready. And please, do try to relax. You'll get better results that way."

For a long moment, Kiyoka studied the New Type God Arc that was intended for her. At first, she couldn't sense there was anything special about Fenrir's latest invention. Appearance-wise, it didn't appear any different from any other long blades she had seen before. She could make out the matching colored buckler - a class of light weighted shield that was known for its quick deployment. Then, curiously, she noticed the barrel of a sniper gun.

 _'A hybrid?'_ she thought.

The idea that a God Arc could use either blade or gun was certainly an impressive feat from her perspective. She imagined it would allow the God Eater to become a more versatile fighter on the field. For instance, if one of the gunner-type God Eater had fallen in battle, the New Type can provide long-range support in his or her stead. And vice-versa, if the same situation was to happen to a blade-type comrade, the New Type can switch over to close quarters battle.

 _'Was that really enough?'_ Kiyoka couldn't help but wondered. _'Is this really the trump card that can beat back the Aragami?'_

Those questions were begging at her. As impressive as the hybrid weapon system was, she expected a lot more from the so-called ultimate weapon, which was insinuated to be the turning point of humanity's war against the malevolent gods.

Finally, she stopped her pondering and took a deep breath, bracing herself for what came next. She knew the very moment she grabbed that God Arc, she may not come out alive. The beast that lay dormant inside the weapon could end up rejecting her as its master, deeming her to be unfit and devoured herself instead. In the worst-case scenario, she would succumb to her infection, and become the very same monster that humanity has feared for decades.

She fought the urge to turn round and try running out of the chamber. Even if she did that, there was no chance she could make it out. Most likely, she would have been forcibly dragged back into the chamber and undergo the test either way. If not, the guards would have gunned her down, and she'd been dead. Should the latter happened, Fenrir would surely exposed her treasonous act, and her little brother would have been ridiculed for having a traitor for a sister wherever he goes.

 _'No, I can't allow that to happen!'_

The truth is, she was at the point of no return. There was only but one path left for her: forward.

 _'Sis... Give me strength.'_

With gritted teeth, Kiyoka stopped her hesitation as her hand swiftly reached and gripped the handle of the God Arc. The numerous tendrils shoot out from the beast, and pierced through the holes of her armlet. Closing her eyes, she lets out an agonizing scream as her flesh was cut and burnt at the same time. It made her want to grab a knife and hacked her wrist clean off to put an end to the intense pain that was coursing throughout her body.

Then, she remembered the last piece of advice from Major Valentine.

 _'Survive.'_

 _'Survive.'_

 _'Survive.'_

She opened her eyes. The tone of her scream had changed drastically. A scream of defiance replaced the howl of anguish. Sounds of steel clashing against clash reverberated around the chamber, as she raised the blade in the air and slammed against the table repeatedly.

Memories started flooding through her mind. She recalled the first time she underwent the Aptitude Test - all the pain and fears she felt that day. Then she remembered the hardship herself and all of her fellow Alpha Team members, including her older sister had experienced out on the field. And last of all, she saw an image of her younger brother, Shinji, smiling at her, and she remembered exactly whom she was fighting for.

The staff members watching the Aptitude Test from the observation room felt goose bumps at the violent display.

"Oh no... Incompatible?" One of the personnel said, covering his mouth with his hand. The failed test of the last candidate was still fresh in his mind. He didn't wish to relive that horror again.

"No. Not this one. Look closely," He heard his colleague say beside him, as he followed her finger that was pointing at the monitor. "Her readings are still stable and rising!"

"85%"

"88%"

"90%"

"91... 92... 93..."

Then, there was a beep on one of the machines, signaling the end of the Aptitude Test. The screams coming from inside the chamber had finally ceased. To the relief of the staff members, they saw the recruit standing upright and her human form appeared still in tact, as she gripped onto her new God Arc that was buried halfway into the floor. Black fumes emitted from out of her armlet. She was gasping for breath. But nonetheless, she was still alive.

It wasn't long before Kiyoka had quickly recovered from her ordeal. She easily yanked the blade out of the ground with the newfound strength within her. The young woman raised her new God Arc in the air, and gazed in awe.

"93% compatibility rate. Final confirmation," The staff member announced aloud to her fellow colleagues. "We did it! Director Shicksal!"

The staff inside the observation room rejoiced at the news of the successful test. Director Schicksal's lips curled into a smile. For a moment, Johannes laughed quietly to himself. Nobody else in the room had been more delighted than he was.

At long last, he had found his Chosen One.

"Congratulations. Kiyoka Matsuo. You are the first New Type God Eater of the Far East Branch."

* * *

There was no time for respite shortly after her compatibility test was concluded. The center hub of the Far East Branch that was known as the Den, was bustled with activity. God Eater veterans and recruits alike were seen running around. Operators at the desk were barking orders. Apparently, there was a red alert, where a pack of Aragami were spotted prowling outside the wall. Both the defense and reserve units were mobilized to deal with said threat.

It was exactly as Major Valentine had told her. The Far East Branch was the front line; a whole new ball game.

Kiyoka looked around the lobby. She felt like an alien here, everything seemed so foreign to her. There wasn't a single person at this branch she knew personally well. At least back in the American Branch, there were familiar faces of Major Valentine and her friend, Carlos. Quite frankly, she was somewhat uncomfortable. She had stepped inside an unknown territory, which she can't back out of it.

The task of finding herself a seat was difficult; nearly all of them had already been occupied. The Aptitude Test from earlier had taken its toll on her. She was afraid if she didn't sit down soon, she'd fall down. A moment or two later, she found an empty seat beside a young man.

Judging by his youthful face, the boy appeared to be of similar age to her younger brother, which she guessed he was between fourteen to sixteen years of age. He was sporting unkempt orange hair and amber eyes, and wore the standard blue formal uniform; she figured he was another recruit. The young man was none the wiser to her presence, as he continued humming his tune and kicking his heels against the seat. Compare to the other faces around the lobby, he seemed oddly cheery.

Kiyoka had half the mind to simply just sit down beside him. But her common courtesy prevailed. She cleared her throat first.

"Is this seat taken?" she asked.

Her sudden question snapped the young man out of his daydream, and he looked up to her with widened eyes. "No, no, you can sit down if you want." he said, with a smile and cheerful tone.

Once she was permitted, she took her seat next to the young man. The moment she rested on the leather cushion, she felt a sense of relief as the aches in her legs began to soothe. At least she didn't have to worry about falling herself over, and making a damn fool out of herself in front of everyone.

As she sat there with her legs crossed, and her hand rested against her cheek, she felt a pair of eyes staring at her for some time. To confirm her suspicion, she shifted her head and met the amber eyes of the boy next to her. The young man flinched involuntarily when she stared right back at him, and he instinctively averted his eyes before fidgeting with his trousers.

 _'Am I really that scary?'_ she wondered.

None of the ink work around her body were visible, thanks to the uniform. Although she did have several visible piercings, namely the silver studs on her left ear, and the one on the right side of her nostril. In all likelihood, the boy may have been intimidated by her appearance, and thought she was a delinquent or something.

"Relax," she said, with a smile on her face as she tried to reassure him. "I won't bite."

The young man collected himself, after hearing her assuring tone. "Want some gum?" he offered.

"Sure. Why not?"

As the boy reached and fumbled inside his trouser pocket however, he made a nervous chuckle. "Oh wait. Uh... Yeah, I totally forgot. I downed the last piece. Sorry."

 _'Seriously? Is this kid trolling me or what?'_

Disappointed, Kiyoka faced back the other way. She was still waiting for the arrival of her new supervisor to brief her.

The young man rubbed the back of his neck, wondering what he should say next to break the awkward silence between them. "So uh, nice to meet you, I'm Kota Fujiki." he introduced himself, as he extended out his hand.

Kiyoka briefly turned round, and accepted the handshake. "Kiyoka Matsuo," she replied, introducing her own name in return. "A pleasure to meet you, Fujiki."

"So, Kiyoka. You're a match too, huh?"

Her red eyes narrowed when the young man named Kota suddenly addressed her by her first name. She thought it was a custom in her ancestral homeland that one shouldn't addressed each other on a first name basis, unless they were family or really close friends. And yet, this young man was being rather chummy with her already.

"That's right."

"Cool, that makes the two of us. So, how old are you, anyway?"

She paused when the personal question came at her. Then, her gaze drifted over to Kota, her lips curled into a suggestive smile. "Why do you want to know?" She then leaned towards the young man until her mouth was an inch away from his ear. Whatever she whispered to him, made his cheeks flushed with red, and he jumped out of his seat at once.

"No! Wait! I wasn't trying to!" He started stuttering.

Kota's moment of embarrassment had earned him several glances from the nearby seats. Honestly, she finds it cute to see how flustered he was.

"I was just kidding with you," Kiyoka said with a chuckle, gesturing the young man to sit back down. "Ain't no need for you to get so worked up about it. But seriously though, Kota. When you ask some random girl how old she is, don't be surprised if she takes it the wrong way. Luckily for you, I'm open-minded about these things. Just some food for thought."

It took a moment for Kota to collect himself, before he sat back down beside her.

"I'm nineteen by the way." she answered.

"Nineteen! Wow, I didn't expect you to be that old."

"Who are you calling old!?" As punishment for what she perceived to be his wrong choice of words, Kiyoka pinched him hard by his ear. "Didn't your mama teach you any manners, boy?"

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" Kota cried uncle, tapping her a few times on the wrist. She released him once he admitted his wrongdoing.

At any rate, Kiyoka was glad to have met and strike up a conversation with Kota. He was the first real person she had properly interacted with since she had arrived in the Far East Branch. She hoped it would be the first of many.

"Anyways, since we're both fellow recruits, let's do our best in training." she said, her arm extended out to Kota before her hand curled into a fist.

In response, Kota made a fist bump with her, sealing their pact as fellow comrades-in-arms.

It was then they felt a presence walking up to them, and the two recruits directed their gaze at the woman in front of them.

The woman in question carried a clipboard on her hand. She had long black hair styled with bangs covering her left eye, while leaving only a green eye on the right. Her attire consists of a white uniform jacket that exposes her cleavage, and matching pants revealing parts of her thighs. In all honestly, Kiyoka didn't think much of it; she was pretty used to the sight of skimpy dressed women around a Fenrir base. Her female comrades in the past, had once joked if they were to die to an Aragami, they may as well looked their very best.

More importantly however, the woman had a stern look to her face that gave Kiyoka a pause. She bears a resemblance to her former branch commander, Major Valentine, and it wouldn't have come to a surprise if the two women were cut of the same cloth. That's when it hit her on her mind.

"Ma'am!" She immediately stood up from her seat. Her feet together, and her back straighten as she delivered a sharp salute.

Kota on the other hand, didn't promptly follow her in suit. He had a dumbfounded look on his face instead. She was forced to tap her boot against her fellow recruit's leg before he finally took the hint and mirrored her pose.

The woman didn't say anything at first. She blinked a couple of times, trying to hide her surprise. Normally, she would have raised her voice in order to scare the typical undisciplined recruits to stand at attention before her, and respect her authority. However, the female recruit to her left, had stood up and acknowledged her as her superior officer before she could even utter a word. What's more, the trainee had even beat some sense into the fellow trainee beside her, saving him the grace of being chewed out by her. She was impressed by the recruit's professional attitude.

 _'Lindow could really learn a thing or two from this recruit.'  
_

"At ease, recruits," she said, in her authoritative tone. At her command, both the trainees relaxed their stance. "I've got a busy day planned, so we'll keep this nice and simple. I am Major Tsubaki Amamiya. Your senior instructor and advisor here at the Far East,"

For a moment, her eye drifted down at her clipboard. "Kiyoka Matsuo. Kota Fujiki. Your schedule is as follows: a full medical checkup at 1100 hours. Then you'll begin your training at 1200 hours in Room 3. Do not be late for either of them. If you are even off by one minute, you'll be cleaning the gutters outside the base, is that understood?"

"Yes, ma'am!"


	7. Chapter 7 - The First Test

**Chapter 7 - The First Test**

* * *

"So, who's this new recruit I'm getting, big sis?" Lindow Amamiya asked, as he walked down the dimly lit hallway, his footsteps echoing the steel floor. He wasn't alone though. His older sister and his superior officer, Tsubaki, walked alongside him.

Craving for some nicotine, he placed a cigarette in his mouth. His gloved hand reached inside his jacket pocket for the gold plated flip lighter. As he was about to light up the cigarette however, Tsubaki, had another idea in mind, as her free hand swiftly reached out and snatched the tobacco right out of her younger brother's mouth faster than he could blink.

"Lindow, how many times have I told you about this? If you're going to smoke, do it outside please," Tsubaki said, giving her younger brother the stern look she usually does. "And you need to quit it too. It's a disgusting habit that's bad for your health."

All Lindow could do was chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck in response when his older sister lectured him once again on his smoking habit. "Okay, big sis. I mean, ma'am." he quickly corrected himself.

A sigh escaped from the Major's lips. Her younger brother who had the same hair and eye color as she did was twenty-six years of age, but she still had to treat him like a little kid at times. More over, he was the Captain of the 1st Unit also known as the Retaliation Squad - an elite vanguard unit of the Far East Branch responsible for spearheading the assault into deep Aragami territory. He should have a professional attitude that reflects a man of his position. But to her dismay, he younger brother was much too easy-going and carefree; some of the other God Eaters doesn't take him seriously enough.

"So back to the question." Lindow extended his hand out to his sister, motioning her to return his cigarette, which she reluctantly obliged. Instead of verbally answering the question, Tsubaki removed a piece of paper from the clipboard, which she then passed over to her brother.

The Captain skimmed over the paper, which happened to be the recruit's dossier. His eyes were fixed on her recently taken head-shot photograph before trailing down to the rest of the details.

"Let's see... Her name is Kiyoka Matsuo... She's nineteen years of age, so she's a bit older than the typical recruits... She's originally from Fenrir America Branch. Born and raised in Texas. Wow, so she's an American. And..."

Lindow paused for a moment. "She used to be a God Eater before?" He then shot a glance over to his older sister, who looked back at him and nodded.

"She served at her local branch for one year with distinction. Has participated around thirty combat operations, which includes the elimination of six high-profile targets: three Vajras, two Borg Camlanns and a Quadriga. Was relived of her post four years ago. Her last rank was Corporal."

He took a breather by the time he finished reading over the dossier. "Man, that's one hell of a recruit we got there. How on earth did she wind up coming back to service?"

"Director Schicksal was the one who personally brought her back in the fold," The Major replied, taking back the dossier. "I admit, I was surprised about this myself. It's quite unusual for a retired God Eater to come back to the front line. However, I did learn she's a match for the New Type God Arc."

"Wow, really? So we finally got ourselves one of those new breed of God Eaters, huh?"

The Captain of the 1st Unit had undoubtedly heard many talks regarding the New Type God Eaters from the corners of the Den. There was a mixture of opinions on Fenrir's latest invention. Some were excited and believe they could be humanity's last best hopes. The more skeptical members however, weren't so optimistic. 'They're just smokes and mirrors.' he heard them say. As for himself, he decided to wait and see one for himself before delivering his final verdict.

"She's currently training, alongside one other recruit." Tsubaki stopped before the nearest door.

As the hydraulic mechanism hissed and the door slide opened, the faint sounds of an ongoing battle could be heard in the background with gunshot reports, steel hitting flesh and bone, and the bestial growls. The Amamiya siblings stepped inside the control and observation room with the necessary arranged set of machines and an operator monitoring through the terminal, overlooking a chamber below through the glass window. The battle inside the chamber grew more audible the further they approached the window. When he noticed their presences, the operator turned round and saluted his superior officers. The older sister saluted back at the subordinate, while the younger brother casually waved his hand.

"How's the recruits?" Tsubaki inquired, her arms folded in front of her chest.

"They're doing reasonably well, ma'am," The operator replied. "To start off with... Fujiki. He was panicking at first. But then as the training goes on, his confidence grew. He knows how to keep his distance and managed to pick off any targets that come for him."

Her green eye followed the recruit in question, as he battled against the stimulated Ogretails in the chamber. In his hands, he carried an assault gun God Arc. The barrel recoiled in rapid succession, and a discharging barrage of shells peppered into the head of an encroaching beast. It lets out a dying howl as it fell.

Lindow couldn't help but laid his eye on the young man's God Arc. There was something awfully familiar about the particular assault gun with the yellow and grey schemes. Finally, the answer came to him, as his eye widened. "Wait, isn't that your..."

"My God Arc," Tsubaki finished the sentence. "This recruit happened to be a match for my old God Arc."

It made the Major nostalgic, as she remembered using this God Arc for ten long years, to protect her fellow mankind against the Aragami threat. Now, the torch has been passed over to a young and eager God Eater. Whether or not he could go on to achieve a lot more with her old and trusty God Arc than she could ever do, only time will be able to tell.

"As for the other recruit. Matsuo," The operator took a deep breath. "She's really something else..."

Lindow's eye darted to the right. His mouth widened as he followed the other recruit in action; the first New-Type God Eater of the Far East Branch.

An Ogretail made a pathetic whine as the gaping jaws of a black beast already latched onto its abdomen lifted its body up the air. The trapped beast writhed around violently, trying to break itself free. Then, the young woman took up a batting stance, and swung her God Arc as though she was playing baseball. As she did, the black beast simultaneously released the Ogretail, which flew into the air until it knocked into the path of one of its kind. Like a game of dominoes, the other Ogretail staggered and tumbled over another one from behind.

A gasp escaped the Captain's lips when he witnessed the black blade, which the New Type wielded in her hands, transformed into a sniper gun of matching color. He watched as the recruit steered the barrel of her rifle at the direction of the downed beasts. One by one, she mercilessly executed each of her targets with a single blazing lead.

"Not bad," he remarked. "Not bad at all."

His older sister beside him, nodded a few times as she shared the same sentiment. "She has quite an unorthodox way of fighting," she said. "It's brutal, yet very efficient..."

Suddenly, the hissing sound of a hydraulic came from behind. Both the Amamiya siblings turned round in time to see the newest presence in the room: Director Schicksal.

"Director." Tsubaki quickly saluted the Director as soon as he appeared. Lindow however, did not mimic the same courtesy as his older sister did to her superior. Instead, he stood with his hands on his waist, abstaining from formality. He did acknowledge the Director at the very least with a nod.

Director Schicksal raised a hand, gesturing the Major to be at ease. He then approached the glass window, standing next to her. His piercing blue eyes were fixed on the New Type.

"Major Amamiya," he said. "How's our New-Type doing?"

"Well, to sum it up, sir, she's doing pretty good," Tsubaki answered, "Her previous experience as a God Eater is clearly evident. She has great battle intuition and situational awareness. More over, she seem to have adjusted pretty well to her new God Arc in no time."

"Good, then signed her off training as soon as possible," Johannes said, before his gaze fell on Lindow.

"Captain Amamiya, as you must have already heard, you are to take Private Matsuo under your command. She's our first New-Type of this branch. She is to be handled wisely to the best of your abilities. Furthermore, I have an assignment for you. We can discuss this back in my office... "

Having said that, Director Schicksal took his leave. Lindow on the other hand, stood there, brooding over his impending meeting with the Director.

* * *

Two hours later, Kiyoka and Kota have their lunch break in the canteen after their basic physical and combat training was completed. The tables in the room were filled to the brim from all sorts of personnel such as God Eaters, operators and engineers - all of whom, who wanted to grab a quick meal before they are occupied by their next schedule of the day. Everything seemed hectic inside the Den; there was hardly much time to relax.

"Oh man, I still can't believe this..." Kota said, his tone sounded rather disappointed. "I have to clean those gutters outside... First thing in the morning..."

"Serves you right," Kiyoka said, her eyes scanning for empty seats. "Nobody asked you to come late for your medical checkup. If I were you, boy, I'd best get on it first thing in the morning. Else, the Major will have you clean out those gutters with your tongue instead..."

Kota shuddered at the vivid imagination that came to him.

Finally, she stopped in her tracks as she laid her eyes on the table at the far corner of the room that appeared mostly empty. Only one person sat at the table: a hooded figure wearing a long blue jacket; the individual was also a God Eater, as she could evidently tell by the visible red armlet on the right wrist. In spite of the busy lunch break, she found it strange nobody else has taken the empty seats at this table.

Her head turned briefly to face her fellow trainee, motioning at the table in question.

"You sure you wanna sit there?" Kota asked, shooting a glance over at the hooded figure. "I don't know... Something about that person gives me bad vibes... There's probably a reason why other people aren't sitting there. Maybe we ought to wait for another table..."

As she heard the young man expressing his uncomfortable feeling regarding the hooded figure, Kiyoka responded with a sigh. "You go ahead and wait then. I'll just eat over there."

Instead of heeding her fellow recruit's advice, she made her way over to the table regardless. Her stomach growled with hunger, and the sore muscles in her legs begged for her to rest; she decided not to be overly picky where she sits and eat.

"Wait up!" After a change of mind, Kota paced up after her.

She stopped beside the hooded figure, close enough for the individual to feel her presence. "Hey, are any of these seats taken?"

Upon hearing her voice, the hooded figure put the fork down for a moment. Then, the individual shifted to meet her crimson eyes. Underneath the hood, was the face of a young man, who sported pale blond hair and dark skin. There was something about his piercing blue eyes, which Kiyoka felt was similar to another person she had met; she couldn't quite remember exactly who it was though. The young man did not answer her question. He stared at her, all whilst wearing a stoic expression on his face; she figured the guy wasn't the talkative type. Judging how isolated he was from his fellow peers, he had loner written all over him.

"I take that silence as a no, then?" she asked.

The young man turned back to his tray of food. "Do as you wish." he mumbled under his breath.

 _'So you can actually talk, huh?'_ For a moment, Kiyoka thought he might have been a mute. She took her seat across the table, in front of the young man himself. Kota sat down next to her, eyeing the guy nervously. Her eyes closed and her hands clasped together briefly as she utter words of quiet prayer. She then picked up the disposable chopsticks, and split them open before munching away at her lunch.

"Man, that training was pretty tough, huh?" Kota finally spoke up to break the silence.

"It's not so bad." Kiyoka replied.

"When it first started, I got so sacred and jumped up. When those things came at me, it felt so real! I thought for sure I was gonna die!"

As the young woman listened to her fellow recruit's experience in the training room, she shoved an egg roll inside her mouth. The color of her face had suddenly become paler than before. It seemed as though she was about to retch. She involuntarily spat the food back on her plate before her hand reached for a glass of water.

"Something wrong with the egg roll?" Kota asked.

"It's too sweet." she replied, as she brought the rim of the glass to her mouth.

"Really? You don't like sweet food?"

"I prefer spicy food, or at least something that's not too sweetened." Kiyoka said, as she grabbed the saltshaker, and sprinkled a pinch of salt on her eggroll.

Kota seemed surprised to say the least. He had a perception that all girls like sweets, based on his experience with his mother, his younger sister and her friends. However, the young woman beside him was different.

"Anyways, you were awesome in that training!" he said, resuming the subject from earlier on. "How did you do that? I saw your God Arc turning into a gun, and then back into a blade. I wish I could do that. It was really cool!"

The mere mention of a blade-gun hybrid God Arc had curiously drawn the hooded, young man's attention, as he raised his head and fixed his narrowed eyes on the young woman in front of him.

"Oh that? Well, I'm a New Type," Kiyoka answered. "I'm one of the rare matches for this new weapon. As to how I made my God Arc switch forms... Let's just say... It comes as natural as walking. That's probably the best explanation I can think of.."

In all honestly, the young woman was rather surprised herself how quickly she adapted to her new God Arc, and utilized its unique forms during the training simulation. Still, she had a gut feeling she had only scratched the surface, and there was still plenty more she didn't know about the so-called trump card that fell to her. Most importantly, she realized she has yet to test her new God Arc in a real battle.

"So you're the New Type, huh?"

Kiyoka directed her gaze at the hooded, young man, who asked her the sudden question. Unlike the mumbling from before, he spoke loudly and clearer this time with a rather distinctive deep voice. He still wore the same stoic expression on his face however.

"That's right." she replied.

"And how ready are you to bear that responsibility?"

For a long moment, Kiyoka remained in silence as she pondered over her answer. As she was about to open her mouth however, she found herself interrupted by another presence. She looked up to see a young woman with reddish-brown pigtails. Judging by the tablet she carried in her hand, and the formal attire she wore, she concluded she was an operator.

"Ah, Soma. The Director wanted to see you in his office," she said. The smile on her face enhanced her friendly and polite tone. "I believe he has a special mission for you."

The hooded, young man named Soma averted his eyes and kissed his teeth; it didn't seem as though he was particularly fond of meeting Director Shicksal. Without delaying any further, he grabbed his tray of unfinished lunch, as he stood up from his seat. Before he began to disappear out of sight, he gave the New Type one last glance.

"Man, that Soma guy looks scary," Kota remarked, once Soma was out of ear shot. "Well, not as scary as Major Amamiya though."

Before she could dig back into her lunch, Kiyoka noticed the operator still standing next to her, had decided to switch her attention over to her instead.

"You're Kiyoka Matsuo, right? The first New Type of our branch?" The red headed woman asked.

"And you are?"

"Hibari. Hibari Takeda." The operator replied. As she introduced herself, her hand extended out to her.

Kiyoka reached up and shook her hand. "Nice to meet you, Takeda."

"Likewise, Matsuo. I hope we can work well together for this upcoming mission we're about to do."

There was a puzzled look on the silver haired woman's face. "Wait, what?"

* * *

The next thing Kiyoka knew, she was seated out in the lobby, after her lunch break. Rather than attending the lecture in the evening with her fellow recruit, Kota, she was to participate her first mission out on the field. It seemed almost unheard of for a fresh trainee still in training to be sent out into the thick of battle; then again, she wasn't exactly a rookie with her previous God Eating experience. Beside, she already put two and two together. She figured enough Director Schicksal who invested a lot in her, was eager to have her combat-ready and tested as soon as possible, mostly likely he wanted a positive result that could satisfied the other top brass from the main headquarter and other branches.

Sighing, she didn't care much for politics. She was first and foremost, a soldier. As she waited for the arrival of her superior officer, she crossed her arms and legs. It was a moment or two later, she finally saw him: a towering tall man in long brown jacket, greeting Hibari over at the counter first before he made his way over to her. He stopped in front of her, his hands on his waist. She immediately stood up from her seat and saluted.

"Sir."

"Hey, hey, at ease. There's no need to be so formal," she heard him say, as he waved away his hand dismissively. "The name's Lindow Amamiya. Captain of the 1st Unit. According to various documents, I am your superior officer. But I never paid much attention to that crap, and neither should you. End game, I want you to become someone who watch my back."

"Right..."

As she studied her superior officer, Kiyoka indeed saw the striking resemblance between him and Major Amamiya; the black hair styled with bang covering one eye, whilst leaving the other green eye exposed. He was a half a foot taller than she was; she guessed he was around six feet. Compared to the Major, he was less stiff and more casual in his demeanor. Whether his laid-back manner was a positive or negative trait, she had to wait and see.

"So, you're that New Type recruit from America? Well, howdy!" The Captain extended his gloved hand out to her.

 _'Howdy?'_ The silver-haired woman had a bemused expression on her face when he greeted her like some stereotypical cowboy from an old western movie. She may have originally come from Texas, but hardly anyone she knew back home used that term, except for the rare old timers born and raised in a rural town. Her hand reached out to shake his.

"Ah, she's the new recruit?"

Kiyoka shifted on her feet, facing the encroaching presence. Her crimson eyes met with her mocha brown's. _'That's quite the scandalous dress you got there, sister.'_ was her first thought, as she make out the woman's two-piece black dress with green trim, and matching skirt with thigh-high slit to show off her bare leg. She admits, the dress did compliment her slender figure and her dark-brown bob-styled hair. _'If you've got it, flaunt it.'_ It's what she remembered Reika used to say.

"I'm Sakuya. Sakuya Tachibana," The brunette introduced herself, as she waved her hand at her. "2nd in command of the 1st Unit. Nice to meet you..."

"Kiyoka Matsuo." The silver-haired woman returned her own name.

"Kiyoka. A pleasure. And welcome on board to the 1st Unit."

"The 1st Unit?" she repeated after Sakuya with a puzzled look, before she turned round to Lindow, waiting for the Captain's explanation.

Captain Amamiya rubbed the back of his neck for a moment. "That's right. I forgot to tell you. Sorry," he said, sounding apologetic. "Your training has been signed off. It's the Director's order, you see. As of this moment, you are transferred to the 1st Unit, so you will be under my command."

Her eyebrow rose, after she heard the answer. "Well, well, the Director's... overly eager to throw me to the lions already?"

A sigh escaped from Lindow's lips. He felt great sympathy with her current predicament He really did. It seemed unfair and unreasonable from his perspective: to pile the pressure on the New Type and expect her to perform a miracle.

"Yeah, I know what you're thinking..." he said. "It's ridiculous, right? But listen, I'm going to be right here with you. And Sakuya here also got your back. Beside, this ain't your first rodeo, right?"

"What are you talking about, Lindow?" Sakuya was seemingly confused, as she didn't know what her unit captain meant. However, Kiyoka on the other hand, knew exactly what Lindow meant.

She lets out a dry chuckle. "So you read my file, huh?"

"I did," The Captain replied. "A former God Eater returning back to the front-line. Now that's not something we get often around here. I love to talk more about that. But it's half past mission."

* * *

 **City of Mercy**

An hour later, they arrived at what appeared to be a ruined city. The local inhabitants have long since forgot its old name. It was simply named as the City of Mercy. Ironically though, there was nothing merciful about this god-forsaken place with its harsh environment.

Having studied some history about her ancestral homeland and seen the map of its location, Kiyoka was willing to guess this used to be the city of Yokohama. However, to her disappointment, neither Lindow nor Sakuya could confirm her answer. It made her realized the sad truth that there were plenty more locals like her Captain and Vice-Captain, who knew little to nothing what Japan used to be like before the Aragami outbreak.

She took a quick survey of her surrounding. Apart from herself, Lindow and Sakuya, it didn't seem as though there were any other living human souls presented in the city; if there were any, she bet they were hiding their presences well. Other than the sounds of their breaths and footsteps, an eerie silence had mostly filled the street. Then, a gusting wind blew scrap of paper past them. The sky was still orange for the time being, but she reckoned there were only a couple hours of sunlight left before the darkness of nightfall engulfed the city.

"Man, this place has seen better days." Lindow remarked with a sigh.

"Yeah, no kidding," Kiyoka said, keeping her eyes peeled for danger as she followed the unit leader. "It ain't much different than what I've seen back home. I guess... every other place in the world is in the same sorry state..."

"You said you're from America, right? Come to think of it, Brendan and Gina are also from there, too," Sakuya said. "I thought you might wanna know, you have fellow Americans working at this branch."

"Really? That's good to hear." The silver-haired woman made a mental note to greet her fellow Americans later when she returned to base.

It was then Lindow stopped in his tracks. He raised a fist in the air, signaling his two comrades to halt. Both Kiyoka and Sakuya obliged. Then, the Captain turned round and brought a finger to his lip, as he gestured the two to be quiet.

The three slowly crept up and stopped before an edge overlooking a residential area with a church in the center that appeared surprisingly mostly in tact. They could make out the sickening crunching sounds of teeth sinking and ripping into flesh, followed by the odor of burnt flesh that filled their nostrils. And that's when they saw them; a large pack of ravenous Ogretails at the open field next to the church, munching away at the remains of a fallen Vajra. From what they could tell, a battle had taken place not so long ago, as dozen corpses of the bipedal creatures laid across the field, either torn apart or burnt to crisp. It appeared the Vajra held its own for a while, until it was ultimately overwhelmed by the Ogretail numbers.

"Well, that's interesting." Kiyoka commented.

"Yeah. They usually don't attack each other, unless they are really desperate," Lindow said, as he lit up his cigarette, and took a drag, blowing grey smoke into the air. Kiyoka thought it was particularly weird for the Captain to be smoking when his about to engage a group of hostile targets. _'Can't this guy at least do it after the battle?'_

"Alright, so here's the plan. I'll take the lead. Sakuya will stay back and provide long-range support. And you," The raven-haired man turned to face the New Type. "You will become our switch-hitter. Take on the commando role. Show us what a New Type can do."

The silver-haired woman nodded, and fixed her red eyes back on the pack of beasts, the expression on her face was neutral. _'The moment of truth...'_ she thought to herself. It was going to be her first real battle against the Aragami, after four years of hiatus. She was about to find out if she still has it in her.

"Are you nervous?" Sakuya asked.

"Just a little I guess." Kiyoka replied honestly.

"Don't worry. I'll back you up," said the brunette, trying to reassure her. "Just stay within my line of sight and my God Arc's effective range at all times. And whatever you do, don't go running off. I can't cover you if you get too far."

"That's right. You can rest assured," Lindow added, his thumb pointed briefly at his vice-captain. "Because Miss Tachibana here happens to be the Number One shooter in the Far East Branch. Put any Aragami within one mile of her and her sniper rifle, and she'll pick their heads clean off!"

"You flattered me, Boss. I'm not that good." Sakuya said, smiling as she lowered her head.

Kiyoka couldn't help but noticed the cheeks of the vice-captain flushing with red. Although she had only met Sakuya today, she could sense the woman had feelings for her captain, having observed their interactions during the helicopter ride to their designated mission area. She saw the way the brunette laughed at his silly jokes, smiling and staring at him intently. Then again, she could be mistaken.

"Oh, and before we get started. I've got three big rules that you need to remember," she heard Lindow say. Curiously, she looked up to see her captain raising a finger. "Don't die," Then, he raised another. "If you're in danger, frikkin' run." And another to make it three. "And last of all, hide. Well, not hide. Use cover. Stealth wins fight."

Sakuya lets out a sigh as she brought a gloved hand to her face. "That's four, dummy." she corrected him.

"Wait, that's four rules, then?" The raven-haired man was left scratching his head, after his miscalculation. "You know what? I'm gonna bottom line it for you... Survive. Actually, yeah. Let's make it one big rule: Survive. Got it?"

"Roger that." Kiyoka replied. _'It's what I do best anyway.'_

"Anything else?" Sakuya asked, her gaze fell on her commanding officer.

"Um... Nope, that's it. Just don't die out there..."

"Inspiring and emotional as always. You're so charismatic, Boss." said the vice-captain, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

After another drag, Lindow removed the cigarette from his mouth, and threw the unfinished tobacco on the ground before he crushed it with the sole of his boot. He then lifted his head back up, the smile faded from his face. Instead, it was replaced by a serious expression. It seems the time for joking around was finally over.

"Let's go!"

She watched as Captain Amamiya jumped off the edge. A cloud of dust billowed from where he landed. His presence drew the Ogretails' attention, as they snarled and charged at him. But the unit leader stood his ground, and held out his God Arc to the side, his face shown no hints of fear. The reddish chainsaw in his hand revved alive out of his own will. Then, he stepped aside at the last possible moment, avoiding the gaping jaw that intended to chomp on his neck. The offending beast lets out a howl of anguish, its body vibrated violently, a torrent of crimson gushed out of its fresh wound in the abdomen before it fell on the ground in a crumbled heap.

Then, there was a deafening crackle of a gunshot. A single blazing lead found its way between the eyes of an on-rushing beast. A small radius of explosion occurred upon impact. And when the dust cleared away, the half-headless corpse fell forward, the flame still burning away at the stump. She shot a glance over at Sergeant Tachibana, who lay down in a crouching position, and held her breath to steady the aim of her God Arc that came in the form of a white sniper gun. The Vice-Captain of 1st Unit wasted no time to zero in her next target, the rifle kicked back as she fired but she managed to keep her balance.

Despite his casual attitude, Kiyoka would soon realize the Captain of the 1st Unit can be a pretty serious and focused man when the occasion calls for it. More over, he has certainly lived up to his rank and his legendary reputation in the branch, as she witnessed his exceptional fighting abilities at first hand. She saw the way he skillfully dodged, and cut down one beast after another with deadly precision. Watching him fight was as though she was watching a dance. She had a sneaking feeling in her gut that she has yet to seen her commanding officer fight at his very best.

The Vice-Captain of the 1st Unit was no slouch herself when it comes to exterminating Aragami. Her display of marksmanship was a sight to behold, as she judged the distance and accuracy of her shots all too well. Any beasts that had any notion of attempting to flank her unit leader were swiftly picked off. She was like a falcon safeguarding the wolf from afar, and swooping down with her razor-sharp talons whenever she's needed.

 _'Now, it's my turn.'_

Gripping her God Arc tightly with one hand, Kiyoka took a deep breath before she jumped down, and made her way over to where the thickest of battle had taken place. Her eyes narrowed, as she spotted one of the Ogretails breaking away from its fellow kinds, and charging towards her instead, thinking she would be an easier prey to devour than the raven-haired man. It was dead wrong with its misconception.

The beast gurgled as it stopped in mid-air. Crimson trickled down on the black blade, as it writhed its head around in agony. Its vain attempt to break free lasted only a couple more seconds before it stopped its struggling. Its eyes rolled back into its head.

The silver-haired woman did not to stop marvel at her handiwork, her eyes were already shifted to her next target: an Ogretail to her left at a distance, pointed its peculiar tail at her. She instinctively brought down the lifeless corpse of the Aragami stuck to her God Arc, and steered into the other beast's direction. A cluster of needles peppered into the dead body. Then, her hand shoved the needle-ridden corpse before she raised her God Arc that had already transformed into a sniper gun. She retaliated at once, firing a shot of her own that appeared in the form of a purplish energy projectile.

Sakuya widened her eyes, as she witnessed the New Type God Eater and her shape-shifting God Arc in action for the first time ever.

Lindow even stopped for a moment, to make a whistle as he watched her performance. He admit, the New Type God Arc had its own merits on the battlefield: the first and foremost example, being that it was flexible, which offered the God Eater another option to fight the Aragami. Like his older sister commented before, the new recruit had a pragmatic approach to fighting, which also complimented her new weapon; it seemed as though they were made for each other.

He breathed a sigh of relief. All in all, he noted the re-commissioned God Eater hasn't lost her touch; she still knew how to fight and conquer her foes like a true warrior.

Then, as the Captain took a real closer look at her, his mouth agape. He saw her lips curled into a grin, which given him a pause.

 _'Wait, she's enjoying this?'_


	8. Chapter 8 - Aegis Project

**Chapter 8 - Aegis Project**

* * *

 **The Den**

Her first mission with the Far East Branch had finished without a hitch; a rather satisfying outcome when she considered her four years absence from the front-line, which she believed could have dulled her fighting abilities. However, slaying an Aragami wasn't a skill that could be so easily forgotten, she will have learned during the battle. The moment she held the God Arc in her hands, and drew the beast's blood, the memories slowly but gradually came back to her, as she remembered her way around the battlefield and the thrill of killing someone or something that tried to kill her first.

 _'The thrill of killing...'_ Kiyoka remembered what Lindow had told her shortly after they returned from their successful mission. _"You look like you was enjoying it."_ he said, referring to her grinning in the heat of battle, which she herself wasn't even aware of. She shook her head, and pushed the thought to the back of her mind.

"Kiyoka!"

The woman's voice that suddenly called out to her, had her stopped in her tracks. As she turned on her heel, she realized it was the operator, Hibari. She wasn't alone though. A young man could be seen walking alongside the operator, chatting away at her. The conversation became more audible, as the two approached her.

"So how about it, Hibari?" he asked, leaning his face a bit too close for Hibari's own comfort, as she instinctively moved away, only for him to end up closing the distance once again, much to her annoyance. "Let's have dinner tonight just between the two of us. It'll be great, trust me!"

"Tatsumi, just be quiet for a moment. I need to speak with her," Hibari said, pointing her finger briefly at the silver-haired woman ahead. She stopped before the New Type, raising thumbs up in the air. "Nice job!" You were stellar out there! I was watching the whole activity from the monitor. Those Ogretails didn't stand much of a chance against you."

"Why, thanks, Hibari..." Kiyoka said. "But I didn't it all alone though... Lindow and Sakuya also helped me out."

"Of course. Captain Amamiya and Sergeant Tachibana deserve their credits too."

"Hey, she's the New Type, right?" Suddenly, the man named Tatsumi turned his attention over to the silver-haired woman. "I'm Tatsumi O'Mori. Captain of the 2nd Unit, also known as the Defense Unit."

Kiyoka raised an eyebrow. She didn't expect the man in front of her, who was care freely hitting on Hibari to be the Defense Unit Captain; his innocent brown eyes and his red jacket lacking any emblems hardly gives off the vibe he was one. She closed her feet together, and straightens her back before she saluted the superior officer.

"Kiyoka Matsuo, sir."

"Hey, easy. There's no need to get so formal with the "sir". You can just call me Tatsumi." said the Defense Unit Captain, as he extended his hand out, which she promptly shook with hers.

"Right..."

Again, it was the second time she met an easy-going officer, who wasn't strict with formality; she started to wonder if this was a trend in the Far East Branch, where commissioned officers should be seen as a friendly and approachable figure rather than a strict authority kind.

"A pleasure to meet you, Kiyoka," Tatsumi said. "You've been assigned to the 1st unit, right? It'll be awesome to fight alongside a new comrade for a change, especially if she's a New Type."

Her lips curved slightly opened. "Words traveled pretty fast around here, huh?"

"Of course. You're the first New Type of our branch. It's been announced right up there." The Defense Unit Captain pointed his finger up. She turned round, as she followed his finger. Then, the corners of her eyes crinkled.

The long, curved orange digital board that lies above the numerous terminals in the lobby, had scrolling yellow text of various messages such as advice for God Eaters to have their God Arcs to be regularly maintained or news of a decreased rationing. One particular message stood out for the silver-haired woman. It read:

 _'Please welcome our first ever New Type God Eater in the Far East Branch. Kiyoka Matsuo.'_

"Anyways, I can't wait to go on a mission with you!" Before Tatsumi could continue expressing his enthusiasm on fighting alongside a New Type, Hibari was heard clearing her throat, as she decided to cut their conversation short.

"Director Schicksal wish to see you in the office," she said, directing her gaze at Kiyoka. "Just take the lift and go up to the executive section."

* * *

A moment later, Kiyoka arrived at the Director's office, standing outside his door. She realized she has yet to spoke with the Far East Branch leader in person, not after their last meeting back in her home branch. Soon enough, she'll have a proper conversation with Director Schicksal for the first time since she landed on her ancestral homeland.

As soon as she stepped inside the room, her nose picked up the pleasant scent of tea and coffee. The Director's office was as she imagined, filled with all sorts of luxuries that could be afforded for a man of his prestige: vintage oak desk, comfy leather sofas, wine and spirits cabinet, and bookshelves. She noticed he was fond of antique decorations, as there was a collection of Chinese ceramics and landscape paintings mounted around the room.

A smile lit up on Director Schicksal's face once he saw her. He placed his cup of milk coffee down on the desk. "Ah, here she is. Our New Type warrior has returned successfully from her first mission. I believe congratulations are in order."

She shot a quick glance to her right, where she realized the Director wasn't alone. Seated on the sofa and sipping away at his green tea, was a peculiar looking man. He has a youthful looking face despite his dark gray hair; it made it difficult for her to estimate his age. She could sense the eccentric vibe from this man with his rather odd fashion of wearing a black waistcoat over a colorful yukata and golden neck chain glasses. When he noticed her presence in the office, he merely lifted his head up and smiled with his eyes still closed.

"Well, hello there. I don't believe we met just yet," The man said. "I'm-"

"Doctor Paylor Sakaki," Kiyoka interjected. "You're the chief supervisor for this branch's Aragami Tech and R&D. But more importantly, you're one of Fenrir's founding fathers, and a leading expert, who made Oracle Cell technology possible."

Like Johannes von Schicksal, she was also aware of Paylor Sakaki's reputation as a great scientist; she has Major Valentine and the other supervisors back at her home branch to thank for.

The jaws of Doctor Sakaki dropped a bit. "Well, well, you are indeed correct. Interesting... At any rate, welcome on board, New Type! I'm certain we're be seeing each other quite a lot in the coming days."

The Doctor then turned towards the Director. "Johannes, why don't you finish with your business first with the recruit before I speak mine."

"Very well," Johannes said, his hands intertwined as he leaned forward from his seat. His piercing blue eyes were fixed on her. "Once again, I like to congratulate you on completing your first mission. It would appear you've adjusted pretty well to your new God Arc. It's a remarkable feat, really. The other New Types from other branches haven't adapted this quick."

Her face remained neutral, as she heard Director Schicksal praising her achievement. "That's kind of you to say, Director... Honestly though, I haven't really achieved much. I mean, killing a bunch of Ogretails with two veteran God Eaters assisting you. That's hardly something to be proud of, in my opinion..."

"Come now. Don't sell yourself short," said the Director, after letting out a chuckle. "It was your first time in four years since you have fought against an Aragami. I'd naturally assume you might struggle and needed time to adapt. But from what I read in Hibari's report, you didn't. I find that pretty reassuring..."

He paused for a moment, as he sipped his cup of milk coffee. "It means you're ready for the bigger missions. The day after tomorrow. You will take part in a very important mission. It'll be the first step of the campaign. Operation Meteorite."

"Operation Metrorite..." Kiyoka repeated after the Director. After pondering for a moment, a sigh escaped from her lips. "So... Since you're so eager to rush me into action. You mind telling me what's so important about this mission?"

"I'm glad you asked," Johannes replied, leaning back against the seat. "Tell me, have you heard of the Aegis Project yet?"

"Not really, no." she answered, shaking her head.

"Then allow me to explain... Imagine... there's a fortress out in the sea. With walls that are impregnable to Aragami attacks, and reaching as high as the sky itself. A utopia where humanity can live in peace once again. That is the Aegis Project."

Her eyes and mouth widened, as she learned of Aegis Project. "Is that really... possible?"

"It is possible," he said. "With the help of God Eaters like yourself. You can make this dream and hope become a reality."

The silver-haired woman had mixed feelings. A part of her was skeptical, believing it was too good to be true. But another part of her was optimistic. _'What if this is all true though?'_

"Fortunately, half the work for the project has already been completed. I imagine it won't take too long." Once he finished, Director Schicksal shot a glance over at Doctor Sakaki - the cue for him to take the stage.

The Doctor downed the remaining green tea before settling the cup down on the table. "Right... If you don't mind, Ms Matsuo. I like to perform a thorough medical checkup. Just to be on the safe side, of course. Plus, I'm quite curious to see the data of our first New Type."

"Fine by me," Kiyoka replied. "Better safe than sorry."

"Excellent. I shall be waiting for you in my room. It's just over at the medical section."

With that, Doctor Sakaki took his leave from the Director's office. It wasn't until the door had closed shut that Kiyoka turned her head back to face the Director.

"Director... I have a request I like to make..." she said. "I wish to be relived of service, and return back as a civilian... as soon as possible."

The Director raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you have no interest in staying on as a God Eater?"

"That I don't," she replied. "I'm grateful that you funded for my little brother's surgery. Don't get me wrong. Without it, he could have died. I'll be sure to pay back the debts someday. However, at the end of the day, this ain't where I really wanted to be..."

"And why's that?" Johannes shot the question at her.

She paused for a deep breath before answering, "In case you haven't forgotten, sir. I've got a home someplace else... "Her crimson eyes looked firmly into his blue's."I've got a fifteen year old little brother who has suffered health problems for much of his life. If I'm gonna be in a position to look after him, then I need to be back home where I can be close to him. Not risking my life fighting abominations at the edge of the world..."

Upon hearing her explanation, the Director nodded a few times. "I see... Very well, I understand. The good news is, you can be relived from your post sooner than you think... As I have said, Aegis Project is halfway to completion. You and your fellow God Eaters need to commit yourself into gathering as many cores as possible, so they can then be converted into resources to supply the fortress. When the project is completed at last.. I'll be more than happy to sign you off and consider the debts paid."

A small smile crept up on her face. "Thank you, sir."

* * *

 _"You murderer... Murderer!"_ A disoriented voice shouted, accusing her of a sin she committed. The figure she saw in front of her, was blurred; she couldn't make much sense out of it, even as she approached. Soon however, the picture cleared away, and she saw a young woman pointing a finger at her.

 _"Murderer!"_ The unknown figure screamed, before her face paled, revealing the deepest of darkness behind her eyes and mouth. Cold sweats trickled down her forehead when she witnessed the unholy face up close. Then, the unholy woman reached for her neck.

Kiyoka shot up from the bed, panting. Her face and hands covered in sweats. It took a moment or two before her breath had calmed back to a steady pace.

 _'The hell was that all about?'_ she wondered about the nightmare.

While she was trying to figure out the answer, she recalled her last memory before she fell into the slumber. She remembered visiting Doctor Sakaki in his room last night for a medical checkup. She found herself lying down onto a bed, as Paylor instructed before the scientist pierced a needle into her neck. ' _Must be some weird stuff his given me...'_

As she looked around, the silver-haired woman realized she was in her room with the green sofas and small kitchen in the corner. She hopped off the bed, and made her way over to the terminal before her hands tapped around the keyboard.

 _'Still nothing yet...'_ As she browsed through her list of mails, none of the messages in the inbox were particularly from Carlos back home, whom she expected to get in touch the day after she landed in the Far East Branch. Her chubby friend was suppose to give her an update on Shinji's current condition, whether he was still unconscious after his surgery or not. Even though the operation was successful, she was still worried nonetheless.

The other messages she read were from folks whom she already met: Kota, Lindow, Sakuya, Hibari, Tatsumi. In addition, there were those whom she hadn't seen yet: Brendan, Kanon, Gina, Karel and Shun. While the rest of the senders had a welcoming tone in their messages, Karel and Shun however, had a condescending tone in theirs. She proceeded to delete the messages from the two offending senders. _'Jerks.'_

When she pulled the blinds opened and felt the rays of sunlight hitting her face, she realized it was already morning. _'Guess I have some time to kill before my next mission.'_

After a refreshing shower, she changed her clothes, as she wore back her old black jacket over a matching corset top and white jean shorts. Then, she stepped out of the room, after tying the white scarf with purple stars to her neck. The moment she arrived down in the bustling lobby, her first thought was to grab some grub over at the canteen.

"Kiyoka!" A familiar voice called out to her, forcing her to stop and turned round.

The first thing she noticed about the young man in front of her, waving his hand at her, was his rather colorful choice of clothes: yellow sleeveless cardigan over a black shirt with cobwebs pattern, brown and beige scarf wrapped around his neck, orange shorts with zips at the knee level left opened, and a pair of matching ankle-length shoes.

"Who are you?" she asked.

The young man had a dumbfounded look on his face. "Don't you recognize me? It's Kota..."

Now that she thought about it. She took a closer look at him. The yellow and orange stripes ear-flap cloth cap was mostly in the way, but she recognized his locks of orange hair and amber eyes. It was indeed the fellow trainee who she was with for most of yesterday.

"Sorry, didn't recognize you at first," she said. "I was just thinking to myself... who the heck is this funny dressed guy?"

"Funny dressed?" The young man looked briefly down at his clothes before his head lifted back up to meet her eyes. His brows knitted. "How rude... This was a gift from my own mother, I have you know... She gave it to me after I passed the training..."

Her eyes widened. "No kidding? That was quick. Thought it might took you longer than that..."

In all honestly, she did not expect Kota, who had a habit of being absentminded at times, was able to pass the assessment on his first try. It was either through sheer dumb luck, where she thought the examiner must of been intoxicated and lost the sense to judge rationally or perhaps the young man really did paid attention to what he learned during training and hasn't put a foot wrong during the assessment.

"Hah! You thought wrong!" he said, folding his arms in front of his chest. "That's what you get when you underestimate Kota Fujiki."

His attempt of a haughty laugh, almost made her want to cringe.

Suddenly, Kota was cut short when he found himself barged from behind, staggering him forward. It was thanks to Kiyoka's quick thinking, who grabbed him by the arm, he was spared from a face plant to the ground.

"Out of my way!"

The source of the voice belonged to a red headed young man in bright green jacket. A blond-haired guy in pinkish dress shirt, with his hands in his pants pockets can be seen standing next to him.

"A newbie like you needs to know his place," said the red headed young man, pointing his finger at Kota. "When you see an elite like me coming by. You make way for him, understand?"

Her eyes narrowed, as she looked at Kota's assailant. Everything about him rubbed her wrong: the way he wore that navy blue cap sideways like some cocky young lad would do, and his obnoxious attitude towards her fellow trainee. ' _A wannable Alpha male...'_

Kota gritted his teeth, and clenched his fist. He was about to step forward with intention to give his assaliant a taste of his own medicine before he disappeared out of sight. However, Kiyoka, who decided to take matter into his own hands, already beat him to the punch. Intentionally, she stepped in front of the red headed young man, stopping him in his tracks. She stood half a head taller than him. Her gloved hands were on her waist.

"You mind going back and apologize to him?" she asked, calmly.

"And just who the hell are you?" The red headed young man asked rather than answering her request. His forehead creased.

"Kiyoka Matsuo." she replied.

For a brief moment, his mouth fell open before the frown reappeared on his face. "So, you're the New Type rookie, huh?"

"Hmm." Curiously, the blond-haired guy directed his gaze at her. "I heard you New Types have special powers... But outwardly... You look like any other brat..."

The silver-haired woman lets out a sigh, as she shot a glance at the blond-haired guy and shook her head. Then, she fixed her eyes back on the first offender, still waiting to hear a proper response to the request she made.

"I don't care if you're a New Type or the Director's new pet," The red headed young man stick his finger towards her face. "Don't go acting like you're better than me. Because you're not. You'd best remember who's junior and senior here."

Another sigh escaped her lips; the arrogance of this young man simply amazed her. "Sorry, I didn't quite catch your name..."

"Shun Ogawa. Remember that. Now listen to your superior and move aside!"

Now that she had seen the obnoxious sender named Shun in person, her dislike for him had grown even further. She figured enough the blond-haired guy was Karel, the other one who sent rude message to her mail. The red headed young man finally pushed his luck when his finger tapped the very top of her chest, specifically where her breastbone was located. After she realized her attempt of being a peaceful diplomat has failed, she decided there was only one way to make him understand.

A wince of pain whimpered out of Shun's lips when he found his wrist grabbed and twisted forcibly. Then, he was spun round and pushed forward until he stood in front of the young man he had barged into moments ago. His face paled when his neck pressed against the crook of her flexed arm, constricting his airway. He struggled to break himself free when his other hand tried prying her arm opened.

"Apologize to him." she said closely to his ear, as she slightly loosen her grip to allow him a chance to speak.

"Sorry!"

"Good... Now, why don't you make like a tree... and leave..."

Satisfied, Kiyoka spun the red headed young man back the other way before she released her grip, shoving him forward. She stared dagger at his friend, Karel; the glare from her red irises had given him a pause, and he thought better than going up against her. The two of them quietly left without causing any further fuss.

She turned round to Kota, who had been watching in awe from start to finish.

"Have you had breakfast, yet?" she asked casually, while fixing her jacket.

The young man shook his head.

"Then let's go have breakfast."

Kota followed after Kiyoka, walking alongside her. His lips curled into a smile.

"Say, Kiyoka. You got any plans for today?" he asked.

"Not really," she replied. "I was just thinking about relaxing in my room..."

"Then let's go on a mission together!"

* * *

Kiyoka heaved a sigh as she watched and listened to the ongoing exchanges between Kota and Hibari. Honestly, she would have rather stay back at the base and enjoy the rare opportunity of a break before the major operation tomorrow. However, her bubbly fellow God Eater couldn't stop bugging her for her cooperation. All throughout breakfast, the young man expressed his eagerness to have his first taste in battle against a real Aragami. She finally caved in, and went along with his plan, if it meant he'll cease his nagging.

"Oh come on, Hibari. We can handle this mission!" Kota said, his finger pointed down at the screen of the tablet.

On the screen, an image of a Vajra was revealed, followed by a box of description below the picture. From what Kiyoka could make out, the tiger beast wasn't exactly a high priority target to kill. But nonetheless, it was a potential threat that could decide to leave its territory one day, and head over to the Far East Branch itself.

Hibari shook her head. "Kota, please... I wouldn't advise it..."

"She's right," Kiyoka added. "The Vajra is one hell of a tough beast... It's not something a fresh out of training should fight for their first battle... We should go for something easier..."

The young man pouted, as he was forced to resign in defeat. He scrolled back to the list of available free-form missions. Then, his eyes lit up, and the smile returned to his face once again. "Then, how about this one?"

As she skimmed over the mission details, Kiyoka nodded a few times. "A Kongou, huh? Yeah, that's more like it."


	9. Chapter 9 - Rumble in the Jungle

**Chapter 9 – Rumble in the Jungle  
**

* * *

 **City of Mercy**

As Kota shot a glance over to his left, he swallowed. He and Kiyoka weren't the only ones presented inside the cabin of the helicopter. On the opposite seats, there was another God Eater: a punky looking young man, who sported spiky red hair and wore matching vest with arm warmers. Despite the man's brown tinted sunglasses, his red eyes that shone as bright as garnet stone could be seen, and he had intricate tribal tattoo on his exposed torso that reaches as far as his shoulders. Still, he didn't give off any intimidating vibes with the smile on his face.

What made Kota anxious however wasn't the red-haired man. It was in fact the hooded guy seated next to him, who had his arms folded in front of his chest.

Soma.

Soma directed his piercing blue eyes momentarily at Kota's direction, having noticed his long staring at him. Kota simultaneously jerked his head back, and averted his eyes. Cold sweat trickled down his spine. He felt as though a couple of years had been taken off his lifespan.

"This is not good... Not good..." he mumbled under his breath.

"What on earth are you mumbling about?" Kiyoka asked, as she was fixing the headset to her ear.

"The Death God is here with us..."

"The what?" The silver-haired woman squinted her eyes for a brief moment, her eyebrow raised and her lips pursed. She didn't know what it is that made her young comrade spooked.

"The Death God... His here with us..." Kota managed the courage to take another peek at Soma, whose eyes were closed this time, much to his relief.

Kiyoka followed her young comrade's glance, and then she looked back at him with an incredulous look on her face. "Kota... You sure you're okay for this? If not... I highly recommend we abort this mission and return to base. Take you to see a doctor as soon as possible..."

"I'm being serious!"

"Serious ain't quite the word I would define you..."

"Just listen to me for a minute..." Kota took a deep breath. "I was cleaning the gutters first thing in the morning... Exactly like Major Amamiya ordered me to do... And there were some other guys who got punished too..."

"And?" She wondered where her young comrade was going with his story.

"Well, they were telling me about a Death God among us... They say that if you go on a mission with him... You won't be coming back alive... And it just so happens... His right there…"

Kiyoka rolled her eyes, as if she had just heard the most ridiculous thing that was ever said to her. _'Ain't got time for this superstition nonsense...'_ Without uttering a word back to her young comrade, she reached inside her jacket pocket and took out a pack of beef jerky before she stuffed a strip of dried meat inside her mouth and chewed silently.

"You heard that, Soma?" Suddenly, the red-haired man in the opposite seat began to speak up, having heard the ongoing conversation between Kiyoka and Kota, despite the latter's attempt to be discreet with his whispering. "This rookie thinks you're some kind of Death God." his finger pointed at Kota.

A snicker escaped from Soma's mouth, as though he could care less what the young man on the opposite seat thought of him.

The punky looking young man lets out a chuckle, and waved away his hand dismissively. "Don't pay any attention to that crap, rookie. These slack-jawed idiots you've been talking with. They don't know what they're talking about. I mean, I've been on a dozen of missions with this guy," his thumb pointed over to Soma. "And I'm still here. Besides, we're not exactly going on the same mission together. We're just catching the same ride."

He leaned forward from his seat. "The name's Eric. Eric der Vogelweid. I'm in the 1st Unit with this guy." His head motioned in the direction of Soma.

The mere mention of the 1st Unit caught Kiyoka's attention, as her gaze fell on Eric. It was news to her that he and Soma belonged in the same unit as the one she has transferred yesterday.

"Kota Fujiki." Kota quickly introduced himself in return.

"Well, nice to meet you, Kota. And you must be..." His gaze fell on Kiyoka, who was still chewing the beef jerky inside her mouth. "Kiyoka Matsuo. Our first ever New Type in the branch, who everyone is talking about."

Eric rubbed his gloved hand on his chin, as he eyed the New Type up and down. "You're not from around here, are you? Yeah, I can tell..."

"What gave that away?" Kiyoka asked, curious to know how Eric arrived at the conclusion he had just brought up.

"It's the way you're dressed, sister," he replied. "You've got that whole Western feeling about you. With that denim jacket and short shorts, and pair of cowboy boots. Not to mention, I notice you've got some tattoos. There's hardly any locals around here, who have one. I don't know if it's a cultural thing or something else. So I figure you must come from some place else."

"Hmm." Kiyoka nodded a few times. "You're right. I ain't from around here. I am from the United States."

According to Fenrir however, the United States of America has ceased to exist for the last two decades. The president and the government was gone. What's left of the US military in the wake of the Aragami destruction have long been absorbed into Fenrir America Branch. However, many born and bred Americans she knew were quite dismissive what the world's ruling organization had to say, as they stubbornly believed their nation was still alive and well. _"I won't allow a bunch of Finns to dictate what I called home for the last seventy years."_ She recalled an elderly resident had once told her.

"Cool. Then you're from the same place as Brendan and Gina," he said, slouching back in his seat. "I have to admit though. Didn't think you were an American at first. With a name like Kiyoka Matsuo. I'd thought you was another local from around here."

A chuckle escaped from her lips. "Yeah. Ain't surprise folks think that way. That's what my mama named me, you see. She decided that my siblings and myself should use full Japanese names. Saying how she wants us to never forget where our roots truly come from and all that... Didn't like my name at first..."

"Really?" Kota joined in.

"Yeah... Where I grew up. There weren't many Asian Americans who lived there. And with a Japanese name, it does kinda make me stand out like some oddball... So, for a while, I used an English name just to fit in. But... as I got older, I learn to embrace my birth name, and my heritage."

As she finished, she noticed the engine sound from the helicopter had quiet down drastically. Then, she realized the aircraft had began its descend to land.

"Man, I would love to hear some more about you. But I'm afraid it's mission time for the both of us." said Eric, as he tapped Soma on the shoulder.

The hooded, young man made a groan as he woke up. He stood up from the seat, and grabbed his buster blade God Arc hanging beside him. Kota widened his eyes when he saw him lifting the massive weapon effortlessly with one hand. As the helicopter landed, he pulled opened the side door. Wind began gushing inside the cabin.

Eric hopped off after Soma, after grabbing his blast gun God Arc before Kiyoka and Kota followed in cue. All four God Eaters found themselves standing on the rooftop of a building, taking in the view of the ruined city with the blue sky and white clouds hovering over. Behind them, the helicopter had taken off once more, and headed back in the same direction. The deafening spinning rotors from before had faded in the distance.

"We'll be going our separate ways now," Eric said, turning on his heel to face Kiyoka and Kota, his blast gun hanging over his shoulder. "Like I said, we've got our own mission to do. Hunting down some troublesome Borg Calamann in the area. How about you guys?"

"A Kongou." Kiyoka replied.

"Well, good luck!" With that, Eric jumped off the roof, following after Soma who had already went ahead, and landed on the street below.

Kiyoka reached a gloved hand for her headset. "Alpha One here. Where about is our target, Hibari? I don't see it anywhere on the motion sensor..." Her crimson eyes glanced down at the screen of the PDA held in her other gloved hand.

"The Kongou's last known location before disappearing from the radar, was heading inside the shopping mall," Hibari answered over the comm. "So your best bet would be to investigate the mall. Just be advised, Alpha One. I can't seem to get any readings inside there for some reason. Just keep your wits about you. And don't hesitate to pull out if you sense a greater danger. "

"Roger that." She shot a glance over to the massive complex building in the distance, which she assumes was the shopping mall.

"Noted."

* * *

Moments after they were dropped off into the ruined city, Kiyoka and Kota arrived at their intended destination: the shopping mall. She took a moment or two to study the mall's exterior. Other than a few large holes in the wall and broken glass panels, the building from outside appeared surprisingly mostly in tact. The inside however, she reckoned would be a completely different story.

When it seems like the coast was clear, the silver-haired woman motioned her young comrade from behind to follow her lead. Her gloved hands gripped firmly onto the handle of her God Arc, as she made her way over to the entrance of the mall; her fellow God Eater followed her closely from behind, readying his own God Arc. The faint sounds of their footsteps were heard over the concrete pavement. Her crimson eyes darted left and right, as a woman of her experience remained cautious of their surrounding.

Then, she stopped in front of the wide opened entrance that had already been broken through. Her nostril picked up the putrid stench that came from inside the building. It was a distinctive odor that resembles copper, mixed in with other foulness that she rather choose to not think about, as it was all too familiar to her; the smell of death.

"Man, what is that smell?" Kota asked, pinching his nose.

"Just... Try not to think about it..." was all Kiyoka could advise her young and relatively inexperienced comrade, who had ventured the world outside Fenrir's walled-off city for probably the first time in his life. "Think about something pleasant instead... Puppies and kittens."

"Okay... Puppies and kittens."

Her gloved hand reached for the flashlight attached to her chest, as she stepped a foot inside the mall; there was hardly any light within the building. A flash of white light beamed out in front of her, and her crimson eyes narrowed as she immediately saw the source of the stench: six dead Orgretails lying across the cream floor with pools of crimson forming underneath their bodies.

Once he saw the dead Aragami corpses in his sight, Kota felt the bile in his stomach churning. Before he knew it, a combination of bearing witness to the bloody violence in front of him and being overwhelmed by the stench of death had him rushed over to a corner and throwing up.

"God… Did that Kongou really do all this?" he finally asked, after he taken the moment to catch his breath and clear his mouth with water.

A quick examination on one of the dead Orgretails was all Kiyoka needed to realize it was their target's handiwork, or at least she thinks so after she make out the monstrous strength it took to smash apart the beast's skull. She turned round, and nodded once at her young comrade. Then, she shifted her body to her left, where her flashlight revealed a trail of crimson leading to somewhere else inside the mall.

"There. Trail of blood." she pointed out to Kota.

After a deep breath, she followed the trail of crimson to wherever it leads. Kota caught up with her, after regaining his composure. For a while, the two God Eaters did not speak a word to one another. The only sounds coming from within the mall were their footsteps along the cream floor and the breaths escaping from their noses. Everything else was ominously quiet inside the mall.

"Man, this feels like a horror movie," Kota remarked, in a lowly voice. "I think I've gotta be extra careful. I don't know what my mom and sister would do if I…. Well, never mind."

Kiyoka spared a glance over her shoulder to her young comrade, and saw the uneasy look on his face; a drastic difference compared to the eagerness he was expressing much earlier on when they were still at base. She figured enough he was rather anxious, considering this will be his first ever mission where he'll fight against a real live Aragami.

"Look, try not to worry so much," she said. "Just remember what you learnt during training, and you're gonna be just fine."

"How are you so calm about this?" Kota asked, having noticed the calmness behind his older comrade's voice. "Aren't you a little nervous?"

"I am a little nervous." Kiyoka replied.

Even as experienced as she was, she couldn't ignore the feelings of butterflies dancing inside her stomach whenever she was deployed out on the field; she reckoned there were other veteran God Eaters like her, who felt the buzz and anxiousness.

"Really? You don't seem nervous at all…"

"Would you rather see me panicking and screaming like it's the end of the world?" she asked a question of her own, as she glanced back at her fellow God Eater. The young man shook his head in response.

"No, I didn't think so. It'll just make things a lot worse, right?"

A sigh escaped from her lips. "Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear."

"Huh, what's that?"

"It's what my papa used to say to me," she explained. "Basically… No matter how scared you may be… There's something else more important than your own fear. For instance… Just imagine this. If you don't man up and kill this beast, it could very well come after your mom and sister. Would you really sit by and allow your loved ones face that terror?"

The vivid imagination that came to Kota's mind was enough to solidify his determination to prevail. "No! I won't let that happen to mom… Nozomi…"

"Good, then you understand what's at stake."

It appeared the small talk had the profound effect to ease her young comrade's nervousness, which was a positive sign for her to see. She looked back ahead, and followed the trail of crimson where she hoped would lead them to their target. And it wasn't long before they found their target at last when the sickeningly crunching sounds lies ahead of them. The two God Eaters tread carefully towards the source, ensuring their footsteps were quiet as possible. Then, they took a careful peek from their covers behind a food stand, and saw the Kongou in the flesh.

Kota widened his eyes and mouth. The Kongou appeared exactly like the ones he fought during the simulation battle at the training room: a giant ape-man with sturdy yellowish hide and hideous red face that reminded him of an Oni demon in Japanese folklore. However, what he saw no more than twenty yards away from him was the real thing. He felt the bile in his stomach rising when the gorilla Aragami munched away at the flesh of a dead Ogretail, scooping chunks after chunks inside its gaping jaws. Fortunately, he suppressed the urge to puke.

"Do Aragami usually… eat each other?" he whispered the question at his older comrade.

"If they're very desperate," she answered, before shifting back into her cover. "Alright, Kota. You ready to do this?"

Kota took a deep breath, and gripped the handles of his God Arc tightly. "Yeah, let's do this!" he said, with a grin on his face as he psyched up to perform his first battle against an Aragami. However, as the young man shifted out of his cover, he was suddenly grabbed by the shoulder and pulled back in. He shot a glance behind him, where he noticed the annoyed look on his older comrade's face.

"I'm sorry. But did you have a plan to go along with that bravado?" she asked. "Or were you just planning to go gun-blazing like some… foolhardy cowboy without thinking it through?"

"Uhh." The young man was left scratching the back of his head. The sudden questioning from his older comrade had him confused, and thus he was unable to think of a proper answer.

Sighing, Kiyoka shook her head and released her grip from her young comrade. She took another peek at the Kongou. Fortunately, the beast was still munching away at its meal without being aware of the two human's presences close by. Then, she looked back at Kota.

"Look, this ain't exactly like how it is during training," she said, laying down some facts for her young comrade. "This is the real thing. There won't be any retries. You get one chance. And if you screw up, it's game over. So you gotta be smart how you do things out here. Now, since we have the element of surprise in our hands, we need to make the best of it. So, got any ideas?"

With her experience in the field, she should have been the one forming the plan, and making her young comrade go along with it. However, she wanted Kota to experience making a decision, where he needs to think for himself and decide what he believe to be the best course of action. _'What if I'm not there?'_ she thought about the long term. ' _I can't be there all the time to pull him out of sticky situations…'_

After pondering for a long and hard moment, an idea had finally sprung to Kota's mind. "Okay. I think I've got an idea..."

"Alright, shoot." She was interested to hear what her young comrade had to say.

"You can do that devouring thing with your God Arc, right? I think you should sneak up behind it, do that thing and hold it down by its tail. And then, I'll go around and pump its face full of spark bullets. It'll go down in no time!"

"Hmm." Rubbing her chin for a moment, the silver-haired woman didn't see anything wrong with her young comrade's plan. It seemed like Kota has done his homework at the very least, knowing the Kongou had a weakness to spark attacks. And she was fairly confident she was able to hold the beast long enough for him to finish it off.

' _It's a good plan as any._ ' she thought. "Okay then. Let's do this."

Once she was ready, Kiyoka stepped out of her cover and began her silent approach towards the back of the Kongou. Her eyes widened, as she stopped in her tracks when the gorilla Aragami lifted its head up. For a pregnant moment, she thought the beast had noticed her, and she was compromised. It made a belching sound, having eaten too quickly for its stomach to digest. Then, it lowered its head once more and went back to feasting away at its meal, much to her relief. ' _Damn abomination…'_

In the meantime, Kota began circling the other way, moving from one cover to the other while he kept his body in a crouching position. Every now and again, he took a peek at check on his older comrade. The young man couldn't help but admired the kind of courage it took to approach such a monstrosity up close; he felt fortunate that his compatible God Arc happened to be a gun type rather than blade.

Then, horror filled his face when he heard the loud stepping sound against aluminum. He immediately bend his head forward until his eyes found the empty can of soda that had been crushed beneath his shoe. ' _Not good! Not good!'_

When he mustered the courage to lift his head back up and look over to his right, the color had drained from his face as their target stared dead at him with its amber eyes, all whilst baring its bloody teeth. Then, the monstrous roar filled the air. His knees buckled from the sheer terror coursing through his veins, and he fell rear-end first onto the cream floor. He could only watch with chattering teeth, as the Kongou rose up and beat its chest with open hands before charging towards him.

The young man was saved from being pummeled to his death when his older comrade stepped in front of him, and holds her shield up in time to block the incoming punch from the gorilla Aragami. There was a deafening thud, as the fist connected against steel. It wasn't until he heard her voice that he finally snapped back to reality.

"Kota! What the hell are you waiting for!? Christmas?" Kiyoka shouted. "Get up and help me, dammit!"

The sight of facing this monstrosity continued to terrified him still. The muscles in his body refused to move an inch. However, the memories of his mother and little sister had eventually flooded through his mind. And he remembered who he was fighting for.

"Right!" Rejuvenated, Kota hurriedly picked up his God Arc, and scrambled back to his feet. He began circling around to the beast's back.

Gritting her teeth, Kiyoka found herself pushed back further, her arms and legs trembled from the burden of attempting to resist the Kongou's strength. The beast lets out another deafening roar, and she could feel its hot breath and saliva hitting her face. She averted her head and coughed, as soon as the god-awful stench reached her nose.

Then, she heard a barrage of rounds fired off, and the gorilla Aragami lets out a howl of anguish, as electric shock pulse throughout its body. She seized the window of opportunity to swing her already transformed bladed God Arc up and down at the beast's chest in quick succession. Crimson geyser spluttered out, as the black blade penetrated and sliced across the flesh.

In retaliation, the Kongou raised both fists in the air before swinging back down at her. She instinctively jumped backwards, and lifted her arm in front of her face, as pieces of concrete flew towards her. As she landed back down on the ground and fixed her eyes back on their target, she noticed the gorilla Aragami has turned its attention over to her young comrade instead, after the latter unleashed another barrage of spark rounds.

With its finely honed instinct, the beast raised both arms in front of its face, grunting as its study body absorbed the damage. While it could not completely avoid the electrifying projectiles, it had at the very least protected itself from the most severe of damages by shielding its head behind cover.

Kota widened his eyes as the Kongou hunched down and revealed its pipe-like organs on its back. He wasted no time moving and jumping out of the way, as the powerful vacuum of wind discharged out of the pipes and struck into a concrete column. The tremendous force blew the pillar apart. A tremor followed shortly afterwards, as a section of the floor had fallen down without its support. He was thankful he was able to avoid the devastating blast in time, and shuddered at the thought of being hit by it.

As she was about to rush at the Kongou in order to relive the pressure off her fellow God Eater, Kiyoka was alarmed by the loud and rapid footsteps coming behind her. She spun round, her mouth wide opened as an Orgretail lunged at her from mid-air.

"Kiyoka!" Kota's face became pale as he caught the sight of the creature pouching on his fellow God Eater, and pinning her to the ground. He couldn't tell if she was still alive with the darkness and furniture obstructing the view, but he feared the possibility.

"I'm alright!" she shouted.

Hearing Kiyoka's voice gave him the much-needed sigh of relief. For a moment, he thought she was a goner, and he'd have no choice but to battle the Kongou and possibly other Aragami all by himself; a terrifying prospect he did not wish to happen.

"Just concentrate on that ape!"

Now that he thought about it, the young man directed his gaze over to the Kongou. His heart raced with fear, as the gorilla Aragami suddenly curled its body and rolled towards him, crushing furniture and other objects in its path like a destructive force of nature. He immediately turned on his heel, and ran as fast as his legs could carry him in the opposite direction, hoping to escape the rolling boulder of death.

A grunt escaped from Kiyoka's lips, as the Orgretail's face was mere inches away from hers. She was able to raise the black blade in time, which caught inside its gaping jaws, stopping it short from taking a bite at her flesh. Refusing to become the beast's next meal, she lets out a roar of defiance, as she used all her might to push the Aragami further away, all whilst her God Arc were cutting deeper into its flesh. Small drops of crimson had fallen on her clothes and skin.

Then, involuntarily, the gun barrel below the blade had fired on its own. The discharging blazing round found its way through the beast's mouth and came out the back of its head. More crimson fell on her. When she looked up, she saw the life had faded away from the Orgretail's amber eyes. She tossed the lifeless body aside before she lifted her back off the ground and took a moment to catch her breath.

As she stared at her God Arc, Kiyoka couldn't make any sense what had transpired a moment ago. She noted her God Arc was still in blade form, but somehow the barrel of the sniper gun had discharged a round. _'Is this something only a New Type can do?'_ she couldn't help but wondered.

Her train of thoughts was soon interrupted after hearing the chorus of growls around her. She rose back on her feet as another Orgretail emerged out of the shadows and charged towards her. With a timely sidestep and an overhead swing of her blade at the beast's neck, she brought her foe down with one strike.

As the Orgretail fell, she wasted no time defending herself from the next beast that came at her, sinking the tip of her blade into one of its amber eyes before she planted a boot against its head. With the Kongou distracted and coming after her young comrade instead, it appears the pack of Orgretails that remained in hiding until now, has decided to try their luck with her.

' _Ain't got time for this…'_ Kota's safety was deemed far more important than her desire to kill each and every last one of these beasts. Her gloved hand reached inside one of her waist pouches for a stun grenade.

The pack of Orgretails howled, as the bright flash of white light blinded them. A few of the bipedal creatures had bumped into each other, while staggering. When they shook their heads and recovered at last, they soon realized their intended prey had disappeared out of their sights.

* * *

The silver-haired woman made a beeline towards the light that happened to be the exit out the shopping mall. Her gloved hand reached up to tap into her headset. "Kota, report! Are you alright?"

For a moment, there was no response. Only silence. But then a few seconds later, the radio crackled to life, and Kota's voice was heard over the comm.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm okay," he said, his voice sounded almost like a whisper. "I'm just hiding right now…"

"What about the ape?" she asked.

"Oh his close by, alright. His trying to find me…"

"Yeah, I ain't surprise," she said, slowing down her pace as she approached the exit. As she no longer needed the extra lighting, she switched off her flashlight.

"Out of the two of us, you're the one who was hurting him the most. Now, his really pissed off. You can bet he won't be satisfied until he catches you in his bare hands, and rips you limb from limb."

She could hear a gulping sound that came on the other end of the comm. No doubt she could sense her young comrade was imagining a scene of his horrifying and agonizing death if the gorilla Aragami happened to catch him.

Finally when she stepped back outside, she felt the rays of sunlight bathing her body, and fresh air blowing on her face; it was a most welcoming change of scenery having endured the dark interior and stench of death only moments ago.

"What do I do?" Kota asked, with a hint of panic behind his voice.

"Relax. Just keep out of sight. And most importantly, try not to make so much noise. Kongou's very sensitive to hearing."

"Wait… His sensitive to hearing?"

"That's right. Why? What are you thinking of, Kota?" she asked, wondering what her young comrade had in mind.

"I think I've got another idea..." he finally replied.

Living up to its relentless nature, the Kongou continued to search for its human prey around the ruined city. Its footsteps were thunderous across the asphalt. Puff of steam escaped from its mouth. The beast completely ignored an Orgretail up ahead that has turned round and begun fleeing away out of fear. At the moment, it was far more interested tracking down the God Eater responsible for causing the several cracks all over its body, determined to get payback for the injuries it had suffered earlier on.

The gorilla Aragami growled upon hearing the report of a gunshot crackling the air. Its amber eyes darted to the right where the shot had come from. In the distance, a ruined, tower block stood on uneven concrete ground. Alerted, the beast made its way over. And in doing so, it thought it could locate its human prey at last.

Upon its arrival at the tower block, the Kongou began circling around the building, and halted when it spotted the wide opened entrance leading into a multi-story car park. There was a splashing sound as its legs powered their way through the dark, shadow water that reached up to its waist. Unknowingly, the beast was none the wiser to the pairs of eyes watching its every movement.

From the next floor overlooking the flooded ground floor, Kota watched with bated breath as the menace that has been coming after him, had finally appeared in his sight. The beast passed by without being aware of neither his nor Kiyoka's presences, who was only a couple of feet away from him. He ducked back into his cover behind the railing, and looked over to his older comrade. They nodded to one another.

Finally, their counterattack has begun.

Two lines of discharging spark rounds interlocked and raked into the abdomen of the Kongou. The beast howled and thrashed around violently, as intense electric current passes through its body, and reached out to the water. A smell of burnt flesh filled the air. Its strength appeared evidently weakened with each passing moments, as its movement became more sluggish. Finally, it did not move from its spot.

The barrage of hot leads kept up for a minute longer before it stopped at last. Grey smoke billowed out of the barrels from the two God Eaters' guns. For a moment, they saw their target had stood upright. Yellowish cracks – signaling the broken bonds - appeared on its face, and even more on its body. Then, the beast slumped down to its knees, before falling face first through the water.

And with that, the hunt was over.

Panting and trembling, Kota slumped down to the ground, leaning his back against the bumper skirt of an abandoned saloon. The adrenaline had finally worn off, and he was feeling the after effects. It still hasn't sunk in the young man's mind that he had reign victorious over his first battle against an Aragami. He felt a hand on his shoulder. As his eyes looked up to his left, he saw Kiyoka standing over him. The silver-haired woman seemed equally exhausted as he was, with sweats trickled down her cheeks and shallow breaths escaping her lips. But she managed a smile and thumbs up gesture.

Despite their shaky start, Kiyoka was pleased with the ending results: the Kongou was eliminated, which meant one less troublesome Aragami for the remnants of humanity to deal with. Most importantly, Kota's first outing turned out to be a success. As silly as her young comrade could be at times, she came to realize he was very much capable of stepping up when push comes to shove. All in all, she couldn't have asked for a better outcome today.

"Great job! Let's call it in."

* * *

As they waited for their extraction, the two God Eaters decided to kill the time, as they looked around inside a convenience store. Suffice it to say, there was hardly anything worth scavenging. All the essential items on the shelves such as food, drinks, medicine and toiletries had already been taken. Only the non-essential products remained like newspapers, magazines and other stuff that isn't considered the highest of priorities for a scavenger's basic needs.

"Wow… folks really have it tough out here, huh?" Kota remarked.

"I suppose this is your first time stepping outside the wall?" Kiyoka asked, as she scrubbed a wet cloth against her stomach, removing the speck of dried blood that splattered on her earlier on.

"Yeah… I heard stories about life outside the wall. I just never knew how bad it was until I finally get to see it with my own eyes… Can't imagine how anyone could live out here. I just hope it won't take long for Aegis to finish."

Tossing aside the rag, Kiyoka shot a glance over to her young comrade, after he mentioned Aegis – The so-called mankind's last hope in the form of an island sanctuary that could apparently accommodate the remnants of humanity and safeguard them against all Aragami attacks.

"And you really believe this project will work?" she asked.

"Of course it will!" he replied without hesitation. "I just know it will. We've got the best minds from around the world, working on it around the clock. And we have fellow God Eaters out there, sacrificing themselves day after day to bring back the cores the island needed. They wouldn't gone through all that effort if they didn't believe it will work."

As she heard Kota's passionate tone while expressing his point, she could tell her young comrade was pretty convinced Aegis Project will turn out to be a success. She wish she could share the same optimistic as he did, but another part of her stubbornly refused to do so.

"Why, Kiyoka? Do you believe it won't work?" he fired the question at her.

She shrugged her shoulders in response. "I don't know, Kota… I mean… It sounds pretty wonderful and all. Having a fortress that can shelter every person on earth and keep out the Aragami… But…"

A sigh escaped from her lips. "I don't believe if that will solve the fundamental problem… So long as the Aragami still exists, humanity won't be completely safe. Until the day we figure out a way to get rid of every last one of those abominations… We'll never gonna be free…"

Kota could sense the spitefulness that his older comrade bear towards the Aragami, as he saw the way she addressed them as 'abominations' with gritted teeth. He wasn't exactly a huge fan of these monsters either, but he did not share the same resentment that she had. Clearly, he figured something must have happened in her past to make her act that way. He contemplated the thought of inquiring her, but decided it wasn't the best time to ask her yet.

It was then he spotted two humanoid shaped figures that were approaching the convenience store. He seemed alarmed at first, but then after a moment, he soon recognized the familiar faces of Eric and Soma; the two of them had also completed their mission and were to meet up together for extraction. Both he and Kiyoka stepped out to meet with their fellow God Eaters.

"Hey guys!" said Eric, waving his gloved hand in the air. "Glad to see you both in one piece. How was the-"

"Eric, look out!" Soma shouted all of the sudden, his eyes widened.

Behind his sunglasses, Eric had terror in his eyes, as the gnashing teeth of an Orgretail dived at him from above. The world had slowed down around him. He thought this was it. He had met his end at last, having danced around with countless life and death situations in the field. Being ambushed and killed by a single Orgretail wasn't exactly the glorious ending he was looking for.

To his surprise however, the beast stopped short of his face. It lets out a whine as its body lifted further away from him. He saw another beast latching onto the Ogretail with its black razor-sharp teeth. His eyes darted to the right, and that's when he saw his savior: Kiyoka Matsuo.

Kiyoka grunted as she willed the predator form of her God Arc to begin devouring the Ogretail at once. The black beast obeyed her command, as it widened its mouth and swallowed its prey whole down its throat.

It lasted only a few more seconds before the deed was finished.

"My savior!" Eric, who had lifted his sunglasses, was almost teary-eyed as he ran up, and wrapped his arms around the back of the young woman, who had saved his life. "Oh thank you, sister! I thought I was done for!"

Kiyoka didn't seem particularly bothered at first by the hug, considering her fellow God Eater was caught up in the moment. However, when he cling onto her for longer than she deemed necessary, and squeezed her even tighter, a frown appeared on her face.

Kota couldn't help a smile, as he watched the amusing exchange between Kiyoka and Eric. The former clenched her fist in the air, threatening to hit the latter if he doesn't release his grip off her. The young man was nonetheless relived he was spared the traumatic scene from watching a comrade of his dying horrifyingly to a vicious beast.

None was more relived than Soma however, as he breathed out a sigh.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Thanks to any readers, who have been keeping up with the story. Due to some unforeseen circumstance in real life, it may take more while than usual to update a new chapter.

The quote which Kiyoka used to give Kota during the pep talk: "Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear." comes from Ambrose Redmoon. I thought it was fitting to use for her to motivate her young comrade, who'll be seeing his first action against a real Aragami.

Compared to what happened in the game earlier on, I decided Eric has survived that Orgetail ambush. I thought it'll be interesting to have him play a part in the future chapters rather than being killed off and wasting that potential.


	10. Chapter 10 - Rude Awakening

**Chapter 10 - Rude Awakening**

* * *

 **The Den**

By the time the helicopter that carried the four God Eaters had touched down on the helipad, the blue sky from the morning had already faded. Instead, it was replaced by shades of orange hovering over the landscape, which signaled the afternoon.

The ride in the elevator was noisy, mostly from Kota and Eric who hadn't stopped rambling away at each other since the flight. Even though these two had only met today, they seem to get along pretty well already, Kiyoka noticed. Then again, she wasn't surprised, considering they were very much alike with their friendliness and fondness for talking. Occasionally, she joined in their conversation when either of the two prompt her a question, but honestly, she wasn't paying much attention to the topic at hand.

Her mind was somewhere else, as she wondered when she would receive the long awaited news from back home. _'Damn Carlos... He's sure taking his sweet time...'_ Either her chubby friend was preoccupied with his engineering work or the network has been very slow to deliver the message. She had half the mind to grab a flight back home to America if he did not get back to her anytime soon.

Sighing, her gaze fell on Soma standing next to her. The so-called Death God was a pretty reserved character to say the least. Unlike Kota and Eric, he wasn't exactly the most talkative person; a characteristic of his which she had already noticed the first time they've met. Throughout the flight back to base, he had spoken only few words every now and again, while letting out the occasional snickering. Most of the times, he was staring out the window or closing his eyes to try getting some nap; the latter attempt wasn't successful however, considering the engine noise and the chitchat. To total strangers who meet him for the first time, that would give off the perception he had a standoffish attitude, and thus he does not welcome social interactions with others.

Still, Kiyoka like to think this guy wasn't completely averse to having conversation with others. She remembered yesterday during lunch break, he had willingly spoken to her when she revealed herself as the New Type. _"And how ready are you to bear that responsibility?"_ he asked her. It was a question that went unanswered even now.

It seemed at the very least, the hooded, young man was curious as to what a New Type God Eater could do, wondering perhaps if they were truly capable of turning their fortunes around against the malevolent gods. _'Maybe he does care about the lives of others.'_ she interpreted.

Before she could ponder any further, she felt a blast of warm air hitting across her face, as the lift doors slide opened. A quick survey in front of her, and she'd realized they were back in the hectic lobby. Nothing has changed inside the Den since they left for the mission. The first person to stride out of the elevator was Soma.

"Hey Soma! Wait up!" Eric called out, as he jogged after his fellow comrade.

The hooded, young man did not stop or even slow his pace, despite hearing his comrade from behind. He was seemingly in a hurry to have his mission rewards processed, so that he could retire to his room or someplace else. At least that's what Kiyoka figured a loner like him would do.

"Man, I can't seem to figure that guy out..." Kota remarked, shaking his head. "He doesn't really like to talk much, does he?"

"Or it could be that he doesn't like talking to you, Kota," Kiyoka replied, heaving a sigh. "Remember when we flew out for our mission? You was like trying to whisper to my ear, calling him a Death God..."

She shook her head. "That's just pretty rude in my honest opinion... If somebody was calling me names, and worse of all, acting like I didn't even hear it, I wouldn't give you the time of the day, that's for sure... I'd given you the cold shoulder until you have some decency to come and apologize."

"I..." Kota was left speechless for a moment. The young man had guilt written all over his face, as he briefly lowered his head. "Yeah, you're right... That was pretty uncalled for... I probably should go and apologize to him..."

"Probably?" She raised an eyebrow.

"No! I mean... Yes, I will apologize to him!"

"Good. Now, let's go get our mission rewards."

No sooner after their rewards were processed from their respective extermination missions, the four God Eaters were approached by a familiar figure in Major Amamiya. Her commanding presence in front of them, snapped Kiyoka, Kota and Eric to immediately stand at attention and salute their superior officer as a sign of respect and recognition that befitted for a woman of her rank and experience. Soma however, couldn't be bothered with the formality as he still has his hands in his jacket pockets and kept his feet apart.

Tsubaki narrowed her green eye as she stared at Soma. As far as the Major was concerned, this young man was not setting a great example for his fellow God Eaters when he chooses not to follow a simple courteous of greeting when meeting a superior officer on deck. In the eyes of others, it would have easily be seen as insubordination, and he could face disciplinary. She made note to reprimand him later on when they were alone.

"At ease," Major Amamiya said, her eye focused back to the rest of the squad. In unison, Kiyoka, Kota and Eric stood at ease. "The top brass has made an announcement to your squad," She shot a glance at Kota. "Private Fujiki... As of today, you are hereby assigned to the 1st Unit. You will be working directly under Captain Lindow Amamiya."

Kota's mouth fell opened upon receiving the announcement.

"That will be all. Dismissed."

With the exception of Soma, the squad saluted off their superior officer. Once the Major was out of sight, Kiyoka and Eric turned their attention over to Kota. The young man appeared delighted at the news, as they noticed his mouth curved into a huge smile. He was like a kid who had just received his birthday present, and it wasn't his birthday yet.

"Congratulations man!" said Eric, his gloved hand patting his newest squad mate in the back. "You're with us now!"

"I still can't believe this... I'm in the 1st Unit!" Kota said, sounding ecstatic. "That's just freaking awesome!"

Kiyoka brought a hand to her forehead. Then, she lets out a deep sigh. "Great... As if one annoying pest wasn't bad enough already. Now there's another one in the squad..." she said, referring to both Kota and Eric.

"What you say!?" Both guys said simultaneously, as they were giving her the frown look.

"Hey, look! They're even perfectly sync too!"

Having no interest to take part in the ongoing exchanges between his squad mates, nor even to offer welcoming words for the newest comrade in his unit, Soma had turned on his heel, and marched his way towards an elevator.

"Soma! Wait!"

Soma clicked his tongue. He thought he could leave quietly without either of them noticing him walking off to go about his own business. But then as usual, someone had to make it his business to call him out. _'Why can't I just be left alone...'_

He almost contemplated at the idea to keep on walking and ignore the call entirely. The person may hate his guts for it, but at least he would have some peace and quiet to himself. Besides, he was already considered an outcast among his peers. There was no end to the whispering around the corners. "Death God" they called him, as though he was a walking plague that brings only death and disease wherever he goes. Alienating one more person was hardly going to change the negative outlook that others already see in him.

But then, an innate human nature always finds a way to get the better of him: Curiosity. He wondered why that person was going through the trouble of seeking him out. As he turned round, he came face to face with his newest comrade.

He didn't think much of Kota, having observed his happy go lucky attitude. In some ways, he was similar to Eric in that regard. However, the difference is, Eric wasn't a gossiping fool who jumped straight on the bandwagon like all the other gossiping fools, who believed every bad things said about him. This guy on the other hand, spoke his mind from the same perspective as one of those idiots talking behind his back.

His icy gaze remained fixed at him. However, the young man that stood in front of him didn't even dared to look him in the eye. Instead, his head was averted, and his hand was rubbing the back of his skull, as if he was trying to think long and hard what he was about to say to him.

If he had waited anymore longer, Soma would have changed his mind and proceed towards the lift as he had originally intended to do. As it turns out however, Kota managed to look him right in the eye with his face stiffened. Then, the young man lowered his head at once. His mouth opened to speak up.

"Sorry."

Soma's piercing blue eyes have blinked a few times, upon seeing the bowing gesture from Kota and hearing his subsequent apology. The stoic expression which he always wore like an armor made it difficult for others to read how he truly felt.

"I was in the wrong... for calling you a Death God earlier on," Kota continued, standing upright to face Soma, his finger scratching briefly against his cheek. "Since we're in the same team, I didn't want any bad blood between us. So... Yeah... Sorry..."

Once again, Kota performed another bow.

Soma had to admit; it wasn't very often someone would bow down and apologizes to him. Most of his fellow peers were content to believe they've never committed any wrongdoings against him. He could hear the murmuring from the other God Eaters nearby, who have taken an interest to them, watching as if it was a drama movie. Being the center of attention wasn't something he appreciates. He had to get away from it.

"Alright, it's fine... Now get up." he said.

"Does this mean we're cool?" Kota asked, sending an upward glance at him.

"I said it's fine, didn't I?"

Sighing, Soma turned round, and resumed his walk towards the elevator, lest his newest comrade decided to pester him any further.

Kota breathed a sigh of relief. At any rate, he was pleased that he listened to Kiyoka's advice to follow through with his apology. With their relationship restarted, he and Soma can start all over again as fellow squad mates without the bad lingering feelings.

Eric stood beside Kota, his lips curled into a small smile as he watched the back of Soma distancing further away. "That Soma... He may not seem like it. But his actually a pretty nice guy, once you get to know him. Just give it some time. He'll open up to you eventually."

Standing not too from behind the two, was Kiyoka with her arms folded in front of her chest. She nodded a few times, satisfied with the positive outcome of the exchange between Kota and Soma. With Kota patching things up with Soma, she could relax with the knowledge that there shouldn't be any tension in the squad.

"Anyways, congratulations, kiddo," Kiyoka said, as she walked up and slapped Kota on the back. "Try not to step on any empty cans next time."

Kota made a pouty, sulky face. He wanted to make a retort against his older comrade, after she reminded him of his embarrassing blunder during the mission. But nothing came to his mind, and he lets out a sigh in defeat.

"Hey, where you're going?" he asked, noticing her walking towards the lift.

"To my room," she answered, as she brought a hand to her mouth to cover the yawn. "I'm tired. Gonna take some rest."

"Seriously!? You're going to sleep on your day off?" Kota had an incredulous look on his face. "Come on. It's only just afternoon. Let's hang out!"

It never ceases to amaze her how easygoing and carefree Kota can be, considering there was a major operation tomorrow afternoon, where all the God Eaters in the branch except for the trainees were needed.

"Geez, Kota. I ain't your wife, y'know," Kiyoka replied bluntly, as she stopped her walking abruptly and turned round to face her young comrade, showing her scowl face. "I don't have to follow wherever you go. You wanna hang out with someone, go ask your boyfriend there," Her head motioned over to Eric. "He'll be inclined to do it."

"Hey! Not cool!"

Eric was seemingly not impressed with her assuming he had intimate relationship with Kota. Likewise, Kota looked just as peeved as he was.

With her two squad mates staring daggers at her, she felt she had some explaining to do for the reasoning behind her cranky mood. "Look, I haven't arrived here that long ago," she began, after heaving a sigh. "I'm still jet-lagged from the flight. Not to mention those missions I've been doing lately... aren't exactly helping to ease my fatigue..."

"Hmm. That's true," Kota said, rubbing his gloved hand against his chin. "Well, go ahead and rest up then. Guess I'll go hang out with Eric."

"Thanks."

* * *

 **Outer Ghetto**

Kiyoka felt the breeze hitting against her bare legs, as she walked down the pathway in great strides. But still, her face did not show any hints of being fazed. One of the perks of being a God Eater, was that the Oracle cells allowed the body to adapt to different temperature. While everybody else would be shivering on a cold night, she and her fellow God Eaters on the other hand will be as right as rain.

Up ahead of her, she could make out the rows of brightly lit scrap metal shacks, which contrasted with the night sky. It was a place where the majority of the Far East Branch's population lived in. The Outer Ghetto.

Unlike the wealthier residents who lived in the inner districts, these working class families didn't have the same luxuries as they did. Nonetheless, not everything was entirely bad in the ghetto, if the smiling children playing around in pristine clothing and the intoxicated workers singing the night away were of any indication. What's more, she noticed one of the residents using the water pump outside his house, and saw the crystal clear fluid pouring down into the bucket. At the very least, it seems the Outer Ghetto residents have access to clean water, which is a rarity for those living outside Fenrir protection.

She ambled into the district with nary a second glance from the residents. As a matter of fact, she saw three other of her comrade-in-arms presented in town, visiting their families and friends, meaning a God Eater's appearance wasn't particularly an unusual sight in this part of the city, and she could blend in without being the center of attention.

The smell of hot piping food that came from the food stalls lined up on the street had reached her nose. Having not eaten any meals since breakfast in the morning, it made her mouth water. As she looked around, one particular building caught her utmost attention with patrons coming in and out. Unlike the other buildings, it was build mostly from wood rather than scrap metal. The entrance itself had a latticed sliding door, along with the decorations of banners and paper lanterns - all of which resembled the appearance of a traditional Japanese restaurant.

Curiously, she decided to check out the building in question. The first thing she noticed upon entering said restaurant, was the pleasant cozy atmosphere as the rowdy patrons clinked their glasses together and laughed away, while the chef over at the kitchen was happily preparing the grilled meat. The chef had even spared the moment to smile and nodded at her, acknowledging her presence in his establishment.

"Kiyoka! Over here!"

With raised eyebrows, Kiyoka darted her head left and right, wondering who had suddenly called out to her. Then, her crimson eyes fixed at the woman garbed in a stylish black and green dress seated over at the counter, waving a gloved hand at her: Sakuya Tachibana. The presence of the 1st Unit Vice-Captain in the pub was most unexpected for her. Her lips curled into a small smile, as she made her way over to Sakuya.

"Well, this is a pleasant surprise," Sakuya said, gesturing her fellow comrade to sit down beside her, "I didn't expect to see you here."

Kiyoka obliged, and took her seat beside the Vice-Captain. As she did, a beaming smiling waitress dressed in a dark yukata with intricate flowery design approached her. She ordered a mug of draught beer before she turned towards Sakuya, "Well, I was hungry. Couldn't be bothered buying ingredients to make dinner, so I decided to dine out. Anyways, I could say the same thing about you. I didn't think this was your kind of place..."

"Oh, why's that?" The Vice-Captain asked, intrigued.

"Well, I kind of thought you'll be more at home in one of those fancier restaurants at the inner district..."

As she said that, Kiyoka could easily imagined Sakuya, who looked the part of a classy lady, sitting alone over at the bar of an upscale restaurant, while sipping her glass of red wine. To see her eating and drinking among the common folks in an inexpensive gastro pub wasn't quite the image she had in mind.

"Those fancy restaurants you're talking about are a rip off," Sakuya said, as a matter of fact, waving her gloved hand away dismissively, "At least here, I know the prices are reasonable. And the food's pretty good since the chef actually cares about his work."

"Well said."

It appears both her and her Vice-Captain think alike. Her lips curled into a small smile when she saw the same waitress returning, bringing her mug of fresh draft beer as well as a small bowl of edamame beans to go with it.

After thanking the waitress, her gaze drifted back to her lager laid right in front of her, noting its small head of foam and pale golden color. She couldn't resist the temptation as she tilted the content of the glass into her mouth, feeling the crisp and refreshing taste down her throat. Placing the mug back down, her hand instinctively reached for one of the young green soybeans.

"How are you settling in so far?" Sakuya asked, after she took a swig off her beer.

"I'm still not used to the time around here," Kiyoka replied, still chewing the soybean. "I woke up in the middle of the night, thinking it's morning. But it ain't. And then by afternoon, I start to feel real sleepy."

"Just give it a few more days. You'll get used to the pattern eventually."

"I sure hope so. Wouldn't wanna end up dozing off during mid-battle. That would be problematic..."

"It shouldn't come to that. My advice, just avoid sleeping during the daytime. Get out in the sunshine as much as you can. You could even do a light exercise. And speaking of exercise..."

Suddenly, an idea sprung to Sakuya's mind, "Would you be interested trying out yoga?"

"Yoga?"

"Yeah. You see, I've been doing yoga lately. Thought it'll be nice to change up my workout routine from time to time. It's pretty fun. It'll be even more fun if I had a partner to try out some poses together."

"Sure, why not," Kiyoka replied without hesitation, "Ain't like I have better things to do around here. And beside, it's not a bad idea to stay in shape."

"Exactly. The fitter you are, the easier it will be to fight the Aragami," Sakuya nodded in agreement, sharing the same sentiment as her fellow comrade, "Great, then let's meet up in the gym tomorrow morning."

With that, the Vice-Captain reached her hand for the food menu tucked behind the chopsticks container, "Let's order food already. I'm freaking starving."

"Yeah me too. This is my first time here, so I'm not really sure what's nice to eat. What would you recommend?"

"Then how about..."

The cheeks of both women were flushed slightly with red as the night went on. At least several empty plates laid between them. Only the bowls of half empty ramen were left in front of them. The mug of draught beer from before they had before, was long finished and instead replaced by glass of overflowing cold sake on a wooden box. The rowdiness from before had drastically quieted down as several groups of patrons have already left the premise.

They promptly left the restaurant after finishing their ramen and paying their bills. As they stepped back outside, the activity in the district was less bustling than it was earlier on with the shops closing up and residents returning to their homes.

"That hit the spot," Kiyoka said, digging the toothpick between her teeth. "I'm glad I decided to come down here. It's been a while since I had proper Japanese food to eat."

"Right. You live in America for pretty much all your life," Sakuya said, stretching her arms as she followed closely behind Kiyoka, "Can't imagine you get much opportunity to eat dishes like sashimi and ramen."

"There were a few opportunities when I was young... We used to have a whole stock of those instant ramen cups. And when we're lucky enough to have the ingredients, my mama and this neighbor made rice balls, sushi and other dishes. My most favorite was the Okonomiyaki that mama made."

A sense of nostalgia filled her when she remembered the good old days she used to stuff her mouth with full of her mother's Osaka-style Okonomiyaki, savoring every ounce of its crispy taste.

"Really? If I had known, I'd order some for you," Sakuya said, "You should try them next time you come back. They're delicious."

"Noted."

"At some point, I like to know how you ended up coming back as a God Eater."

The sudden change of topic made Kiyoka stopped in her tracks. Tossing the toothpick away, she turned round to meet her Vice-Captain's mocha eyes.

"It's just something I've been curious about since yesterday," Sakuya said, bringing her gloved hand to her chin. "Usually the God Eaters who retire... They don't just come back all the sudden. Even if there was a slim chance you were a match for the New Type, you shouldn't be obligated to return. You did your service. That should be the end of that. But then, here you are..."

A sigh escaped from Kiyoka's lips. She contemplated the idea of fabricating a false story or at least give a vague answer. Truth be told, it wasn't any of the Vice-Captain's business to learn the reasoning why she returned as a God Eater, nor does it have any relevance for the important mission tomorrow and the ones after. However, in the end, she decided to be honest with her fellow comrade.

Ultimately, she told the story to Sakuya, starting with her despair when Shinji suffered a heart attack on his fifteen birthday, how her younger brother needed the surgery to live and that Director Schicksal came to her with an offer she seemingly can't refuse. With her arms folded in front of her chest, Sakuya had her eyes widened as she listened to Kiyoka's story, realizing the burden she was carrying on her shoulder.

"Even now, I still don't know if I made the right choice," Kiyoka admitted, after a deep sigh, "There are times where I thought to myself... It's a damn foolish choice. Maybe my friend Ashley from back home had the right idea all along. That I should have sit down and discuss this with my friends first before deciding all on my own..."

With another sigh, she shifted her body and looked up to the moon lit sky, "Now... I'm stuck here. Six thousand something miles away from my home. And I won't be coming back anytime soon... Not until Aegis Project is completed, and who knows how long that's gonna take. A year? A decade maybe? Hell... Would I even get a chance to see it finish?"

Sakuya followed her fellow comrade's gaze at the moon. Having pondered long enough, she opened her mouth to speak, "For what it's worth, I don't think you made the wrong choice there. It's pretty admirable you're willing to put your family first. It's how any loved ones should act for another."

The Vice-Captain paused for a moment, as she needed to take the breather, "Listen. Try not to take everything on your shoulder. You're not alone in here. You've got the 1st Unit to count on. We'll be there whenever you need us."

"Thanks, Sakuya. I appreciate it."

"Hey, it's no problem at all. I'm the Vice-Captain of the 1st Unit, remember? It's my responsibility to look out for my fellow squad member."

Kiyoka felt a sense of relief, having shared some of her past, which she normally would have been reluctant to do so. However, when she looked at Sakuya, there was something about the woman that made her seemed like a trustworthy and reliable character; it almost reminded her of Joshua, the late Vice-Captain of Alpha Team.

* * *

On their way back towards the base, the two women couldn't help but noticed a crowd of spectators gathered around the street. Curiously, they made their way over and pushed through the bodies until they reached the first line. Then, in front of them, they saw numerous dark-garbed guards armed with assault rifles surrounding a group of five people.

Within the group, there were two men, women and a child. Judging by their worn clothing, they were most likely refugees who entered the city for the first time. One of the women in particular had a noticeably bulging belly, in spite of her thin frame. With one hand on her tummy, her other hand grasped tightly onto the smaller one of a young girl, who was presumably her daughter.

"Rules are rules I'm afraid," said the guard in the center, with an authoritatively tone that suggested he was their leader, "You and your group will have to leave now."

"No, please! Just let us stay for one night!" One of the men in the group pleaded, "One night! That's all we're asking for!"

"Sorry, no can't do."

"For god's sake! There's a pregnant woman and her child among us! At least let them stay!"

The rest of the guards saw the cue from their leader, who nodded once, and promptly trained their guns at the refugees without the slightest hesitation. Each of the group members involuntarily flinched back at the sight of rifle barrels staring at them. The guard leader motioned his head, gesturing the group of refugees to start making their way towards the gate.

As she looked around, Kiyoka realized nobody was willing to step up and challenge the authority on their decision to evict the refugees. They all stood back and watched, including Sakuya. She shook her head, and left her Vice-Captain's side.

"Kiyoka! Wait!" To her dismay, Sakuya did not react in time to stop the advancing Kiyoka, who has decided to confront the guard leader herself.

"What the hell is going on here?" Kiyoka asked.

"I don't believe that's any of your concern, soldier," The man replied bluntly, turning round to face Kiyoka, "I suggest you mind your own business and get back in line."

The moment she caught up with her fellow comrade, Sakuya grabbed her by the arm, "Kiyoka, please... don't..."

However, Kiyoka refused to move an inch, even as her Vice-Captain made an attempt to pull her away. She continued to stare at the guard leader with narrowed eyes, "I don't understand... Why won't you let them stay?"

The man sighed and brought a hand to his temple, as if he was dealing with a nuisance, "You're obviously not from around here, are you? If you were, you'd known already about the patch test for those entering our city."

"Patch test?"

"Basically, we apply a patch for any newcomers. If it's orange, then congratulations. It means you have the potential to be compatible for a God Arc, so you and your family get to stay. However... If it's blue, then that's too bad. You didn't pass the test," His thumb pointed at the group, "Which none of them did."

"You're kidding me? The hell kind of rule is that!?" An incredulous look appeared on Kiyoka's face, "You're condemning a group of people to death... Because none of them have the potential to be a God Arc match!?"

"Maybe where you're from, your people can afford to let everyone through the gate. But we can't do that. Our resources are limited as it is. If we didn't have this selective process in place, the city would have fallen apart ages ago. Believe me, I take no pleasure in doing this. But sometimes, there are sacrifices we have to make for the greater good."

"Bullshit!"

The guard leader furrowed his brow, "Look. If you've got a problem with the rules, go take up with the Director. Now, I say this again one more time... Get back in line. Let me remind you, if you continue to interfere with the authority, you'll be court martialed."

Kiyoka gritted her teeth and curled her right hand into a fist. She almost given in to her violent tendencies to hurt the man pretty badly without fearing the severe repercussion, until the pregnant woman had suddenly spoken up in her soft voice, "That's enough... We'll leave..."

The same man, who had pleaded moments ago, was about to protest until he saw his fellow group member shaking her head with her teary eyes. Without saying another word, the group quietly headed towards the gate while escorted by the armed guards.

 _'This ain't right... This ain't right at all...'_ Kiyoka thought.


	11. Chapter 11 - Eye of the Storm

**Chapter 11 – Eye of the Storm**

* * *

 **The Den**

"Are you still angry about yesterday?"

Kiyoka shifted her head to the left, where she stared into the worried face of Sakuya.

Last night's event was still fresh in her mind. The image of five refugees that included a pregnant woman and her young daughter being turned away had left a sour taste on her mouth. She remembered storming back to base, not before telling the guard leader and his men, _"You best pray there never comes a day someone leaves you out high and dry."_

Not even the early morning workout that included yoga lesson with her Vice-Captain could help to alleviate her mood, as she still wore the same scowl face she had since yesterday.

"I ain't happy about yesterday," she replied honestly, "It's ludicrous no matter how I think about it… Those refugees could have contributed in other ways. Maybe they know how to fix stuff or have medical knowledge… Just because one can't be a God Eater, it doesn't mean they're completely useless…"

She shook her head, "And what's that crap about limited resources? So you got fancy restaurants to feed the bellies of some rich fat bastards, but you can't spare food and shelter to look after five people? Yeah... That's just the biggest bullshit I have ever heard..."

"Oh believe me, I'm not happy about all of this either," Sakuya replied. A sigh escaped from her lips, "I can only hope we complete Aegis sooner rather than later. I'd hate to see another family being turned away…"

With her arms and legs crossed, Kiyoka surveyed around the briefing room. On both her flanks, there were dozens of other God Eaters seated on the benches. She could make out Tatsumi of the 2nd Unit in the far end. A young man who sported spiky silver hair and blue jacket sat next to the Defense Unit Captain. And sitting beside him was a pink-haired young woman in a green dress.

Once Tatsumi noticed her gaze, the 2nd Unit Captain pointed her out for his two fellow comrades. Both the young man and woman turned their heads, smiled and waved at her. Likewise, she waved a hand back at the duo.

"That's Brendan and Kanon by the way. They're both in the Defense Unit with Tatsumi," Sakuya said, having followed her fellow comrade's gaze, "Brendan's a pretty reliable guy. Both him and Tatsumi worked great as a pair. Kanon on the other hand… is Kanon."

' _What does that even mean?_ ' Kiyoka wondered what her Vice-Captain meant in regards to Kanon of the 2nd Unit.

More God Eaters shown up to attend the briefing. The two notable individuals among the newest arrivals were Kota and Eric. Once they saw Kiyoka and Sakuya seated on the bench above the center door, they hurriedly made their way over, having noticed Major Amamiya on the podium tapping her foot and glancing down at her wristwatch. Kota sat down in the seat in front of Kiyoka, whilst Eric sat beside him and in front of Sakuya.

"Lindow and Soma aren't here yet?" Eric asked, shooting a glance over his shoulder.

"Do you even need to ask? They're both going to be late as usual." Sakuya replied, with a sigh as she planted her cheek against her hand.

Kiyoka raised an eyebrow, "Shouldn't you try to get those two to come on time?"

"You think I haven't tried already?" Sakuya shot back with a rhetorical question, "I tell these two many times before, but they won't listen. If you wanna give it a shot, then be my guest."

The Vice-Captain directed her gaze at the newest squad member, Kota, whom she has met for the first time. As soon as their eyes met, the young man quickly steered his head back to the front before he started fidgeting in his seat.

"Don't worry, I won't bite you."

Hearing her reassuring tone, Kota managed another glance at Sakuya, while trying to keep his composure this time.

"You must be Kota Fujiki. Our newest squad member. Lindow was just telling me about you when he saw you earlier on," she said, her lips curled into a small smile, "Great to meet you. It's always nice to have someone new in the squad."

"Yes, it's great to meet you, Miss Tachibana! Looking forward to working with you!"

"Sakuya will do."

Once Kota averted his head, Eric couldn't help but take a peek at his face, spotting his reddened cheeks, "Why's your face beet red?" he whispered.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Kota answered, startled.

Just then, Major Amamiya cleared her throat, and the chattering in the background had ceased. All the presented God Eaters in the room fixed their eyes at the branch commander, waiting to hear what she was about to say.

As the Major opened her mouth and was about to speak, the hissing sound of hydraulic was heard. Her gaze fell on the opened center door, where Lindow and Soma ambled inside the room. She narrowed her eye, appearing less than amused by the two's late arrival for the briefing. Quietly, Lindow and Soma approached their squad mates in the 1st Unit. Tsubaki waited until the two had seated down before she began the briefing.

"As you already know, today's a very important mission. Thanks to the hard work from all our personnel, we came up with a solution that will speed up the construction of Aegis by a tenfold. And that solution is Operation Meteorite."

The eyes of many God Eaters in the briefing room have lit up.

"To put it simply, ladies and gentlemen," The Major continued, "This plan involves gathering a large amount of Aragami from all over the Far East. Once enough Aragami have gathered, those with Gun-Type Arcs will launch a series of highly concentrated Oracle energy that will rain down on said horde, hence the name meteorite. With the horde crippled in the blast, the Blade-Types will move in and devour their cores. And these cores will then be converted into resources to complete Aegis."

As she said that, there was a murmur in the background. It seems the upcoming operation was the much-needed motivation to ignite the flames in the hearts of those around her. A little more push, and their dream of a sanctuary could finally become a reality.

"Today, we will lay down the foundation for the success of Operation Meteorite. While our engineers have successfully created the prototype beacons that will attract the Aragami, they required live testing for further improvements. That's where you God Eaters will come in. Your job is simple. Secure your assigned areas, so that the engineers can safely setup and test the beacons. At the end of the test, you will return to base. That's all."

Having said that, Tsubaki took the moment speaking with Hibari and announcing the names of the God Eaters, who will be assigned to various locations across the Far East.

"You look pretty excited." Eric remarked, having noticed Kota's trembling hands.

"How can you not be?" Kota replied, in his ecstatic tone. "This is the best news I've heard in ages! Aren't you glad too, Soma?"

Soma did not reply. He had the blank look on his face, appearing indifferent in contrast to the excited, comrade-in-arms around him.

"Hey Lindow. Keeping executive hours again?" Sakuya asked.

"Heh. You know me and my executive work," Lindow replied with a chuckle, "Always busy with those paper work. I'm starting to feel more of a corporate slave than an actual God Eater."

Casting a glance at the New Type sitting beside his Vice-Captain, Lindow saw the frown on her face. "Why the long face, Texas?" he asked, "You continue to make a face like that, and I might start to think that you're Soma Mark 2."

"Very funny, Captain Amamiya…" Kiyoka replied, as she lets out a dry chuckle.

"Hey, I told you to drop the formality. Just Lindow will do."

"Whatever you say, sir."

Thankfully, her Captain wasn't bothering her any further when his older sister announced the roster for the next assigned team. The announced names of the following God Eaters had both of their eyes widened:

"Securing the Tranquil Temple: Kiyoka Matsuo, Kota Fujiki, Soma, Gina Dickinson, Karel Schneider, Shun Ogawa…"

* * *

 **Tranquil Temple**

A few hours later, a heavy lift helicopter had managed its landing at the designated location. And when the cargo door made a whine and opened its mouth, it revealed the fierce Mother Nature in all her glory. The team of God Eaters involuntarily flinched when a strong gust of wind lashed against their cheeks. Even with the Oracle cells in their bodies and the insulated clothing they wore, it could not prevent their teeth from chattering.

Sakuya standing at the front of the line, had turned round and looked at each member of her assembled team. There were the familiar faces of her fellow 1st Unit members, namely Kiyoka, Soma and Kota. The line up also included the 3rd Unit members: Shun, Karel and their silver-haired squad mate with an eye-patch, Gina. There were three more of her comrade-in-arms, whom she did not recognize, standing behind the 3rd Unit; they were apparently new recruits who have recently finished their training.

Last of all, she saw the four engineers at the furthest back. Among them was a young woman, who couldn't have been more than eighteen years of age. At first glance, the girl looked out of place compared to her three older looking colleagues. But Sakuya knew Licca Kusunoki well enough. Licca was an experienced mechanic in spite of her youthful appearance, and she wasn't afraid of the dirty work as evidently shown by the grease stains on her cheeks. In fact, she happened to be the one spearheading the tech team, as she did the talking and made her fellow engineers listened attentively.

She cast a glance over to Kiyoka, who stood closest to her. Both women exchanged a knowing nod, as they'd like nothing more than to get the operation over and done with, and return to the warm comfort of their bedrooms. She was willing to guess the others shared the same sentiment. Being outside in the bone-chilling blizzard for a prolonged period of time, and perhaps suffering from hypothermia wasn't exactly anybody's idea of a fun.

The Vice-Captain took a deep breath, and looked ahead. Despite the thick, rapid snow that swept across the landscape, there were the occasional breaks in the storm that slowed down the tempo. And for a moment, she was able to make out the silhouette shapes of various buildings that loomed in the distance.

With the goggles over her eyes, she took the first step outside into the wilderness. Despite the howling wind, she could make out her teammates trudging behind her. Then, the spinning rotors of an aircraft roared to life. The deafening engine sound lasted only for a few more moments before it faded at last.

Pushing their way through the storm, the team of God Eaters maintained an arrowhead formation, covering the four engineers inside who lugged a cylinder-shaped device through the snow-covered ground.

"Signal's pretty bad here." Kiyoka remarked aloud, shaking her head while her eyes fixed at the flickering screen of her PDA, realizing the motion sensor was pretty much rendered useless in this harsh weather.

"Just keep your eyes and ears sharp," Sakuya advised.

"God dammit!" Shun cursed, as he almost lost his footing, "This whole idea of doing the test out here is stupid…"

When Kiyoka heard him griping for like the third or forth time since their mission began, it hasn't improved her opinion on what she already thought of Shun Ogawa since the day they've met: an egotistical jerk who thinks he knows best. Likewise, she could tell Kota, Soma and Licca weren't fond of his negative attitude either when they send their narrowed glance at his direction. Still, regardless whether they like him or not, they knew they've got no choice but to work together for the sake of their mission.

And besides, as obnoxious as Shun was, she did believe he had a point. Conducting the prototype beacon test out here in the blizzard wasn't the most ideal situation for herself and her fellow God Eaters. The engineer, Licca however, believe it was completely necessary to perform the test in this harsh weather. _"We need to know if the beacon will be effective in all conditions."_ She remembered hearing her say during their flight towards the frozen wasteland.

 _'And maybe she's right.'_ The engineers, who were considered the brains and the unsung heroes behind Fenrir's success, have worked tirelessly hard around the clock to come up with feasible solutions that could better the lives for the remnants of humanity. She like to believe the beacon test Licca and her guys came up with, was a step in the right direction, and they were truly laying down the foundation of their future success.

"Hold up." Sakuya raised a gloved hand in the air, gesturing the team to halt.

Up ahead to the team's three o'clock, was the outline of a familiar bipedal creature they've grown used to seeing on a daily basis: an Ogretail. When it emerged, its appearance was different from the other Ogretails. The skin appeared thicker and greyish-blue in color with white fur. It was a Fallen-Type – Aragami that have adapted to colder environment.

"I've got this." Gina said, raising and then lowering her God Arc that took form in a purplish and golden sniper gun.

With a glee in her one and only crimson eye, the silver-haired sniper licked her lips, as she steadied her aim. Then, she squeezed the trigger once, just as the Fallen Ogretails turned and growled. Her shot hit true. What's left of the creature's head was sprawled across the snow-covered ground, painting the white with pinkish red.

"Nice shot!" Kota whistled.

"Why thank you," said Gina, "Wish there were more to kill though…"

Gina Dickinson. If there was one thing Kiyoka learnt about her fellow American while the two of them had their introduction during the flight, she was rather gung-ho at the idea of killing Aragami. _"How did you feel when you kill an Aragami?"_ She remembered the soft-spoken, silver-haired sniper asking her or something along those lines. It was shortly after she asked the question, the woman had a strange smile on her face; the kind of one that could make anyone uncomfortable.

Nonetheless, out of the three members of the 3rd Unit she had known so far, she find Gina to be the most tolerable compared to the obnoxious Shun and mercenary Karel.

Fortunately, their marching came to an end, much to the relief of the God Eaters and the engineers, who were somewhat exhausted. A tall building about three stories high emerged into their view. Surprisingly, the surrounding wall outside and the structure inside appeared mostly in tact. The building itself had a traditional design with grayish smoked clay tiled roof and shoji screens.

"Phew, thank god for that," Kota said, relaxing down on the tatami floor of what appeared to be a dining room for guests.

The others were also as relived, as he was to take temporary shelter from the storm. At least the living room felt somewhat warm, and with no signs of cracks on the ceiling above, they needn't to worry about snow seeping down upon them.

Suddenly, the radio crackled to life, "Hibari here. How you guys holding up over there?"

"Cold and wet," Karel answered, sighing, "This mission better be worth my while. I didn't come all the way out here just to freeze to death..."

"You'll be appropriately rewarded for this mission, I assure you. Now if you don't mind, I like to speak with Sakuya."

While Sakuya and Hibari had their discussion over the comm, the others kept themselves occupied in the meantime, whether it was by socializing with one another, listening to music or reading a book.

Kiyoka on the other hand, was staring out the window overlooking from the second floor. The snowstorm occurring across the village was a strange phenomenon she couldn't fathom. According to local legends that her fellow God Eaters speak of, a powerful Fallen-Type Aragami had laid waste to this region a long time ago, freezing everything in its path. And thus, a never ending winter has continued to swept across this part of the land ever since. Strangely enough, the sight of a snow-covered village and the temple that lies in the center with the moon hovering above seemed hauntingly beautiful for her.

Then, her eyes widened. It was only for a glimpse moment, but there was a humanoid figure standing on the roof of a building in the distance, at least she thought it was. When she blinked and looked again, it was no longer there. It simply disappeared as quickly as it had arrived.

 _'What the hell?'_ She didn't know if her mind was playing tricks on her or what not. Whatever the case may be, it wasn't a comforting knowledge to learn there could be someone or something out there watching them at this very moment.

* * *

It was moments after Sakuya and Hibari finished discussing their next step, the team of God Eaters bar one of the new faces who stay behind to safeguard Licca and her fellow engineers, have ventured back outside into the storm.

In less than ten minutes, they managed to sweep the surrounding area of the Aragami threat and the temple that lies in the heart of the village, which consisted no more than seven Fallen Ogretails - hardly enough to threatened a team of nine prepared God Eaters, who remained in their formation at all times. Once they were completely certain the village is cleared and secured, Sakuya wasted no time to inform the operator on their progress, who then gave the engineers the green light to proceed towards the temple.

Kiyoka watched as the engineers got to work, fiddling around with the cylinder-shaped beacon device - a crucial element to their mission success. To kill some time, she had Licca explain to her as on how the device works. Thankfully, the young engineer had the good grace to simplify her explanation. To put it simply, the prototype was built with a valuable core taken from a rare breed of Aragami. When activated, the device will make itself a highly desirable target for the other beasts to seek out. _'Like moths being drawn to the flame.'_

"That's impressive," she remarked, "So, once this is all setup, how long will this test take?"

"It should only take about ten minutes, really. Maybe even less than that depending how effective the beacon will be," Licca replied, shooting a glance over to the device, "Hibari will confirm on her end whether or not there are Aragami signatures heading our way. If there is, we'll know it's successful. If not, we'll just pack up and head on home."

No sooner after the engineers have finished setting up the beacon, the God Eaters took up their position on the higher grounds around the temple. Licca saw the green light to begin the test when her fellow colleague had given her the thumbs up. She proceeded to tap into her headset, "Okay. Beginning the test in... 1... 2... 3!"

At the end of the countdown, a bright amber light emitted from within the device, turning the temple into a light house.

Seven minutes have passed, and nothing has happened yet. If there were any developments happening, Hibari would have already given them the news over the radio. Some of the God Eaters were beginning to wonder if this prototype beacon device truly worked or not.

"Man, why's this thing not working?"

Kiyoka took a quick glance to her right, where Kota casually stood next to her while resting his God Arc over his shoulder.

"Maybe the storm is affecting the signal badly or there's a missing part," she replied, before shrugging her shoulder, "Who knows. I ain't no engineer. All that tech stuff... Yeah, let's leave that to the experts themselves."

Kota opened his mouth and was about to speak again until Kiyoka raised her gloved hand in the air. He saw her eyes narrowed, as she scanned their surrounding. Then, he soon realized what it was that caused his older comrade and a couple of his fellow God Eaters to feel alarmed.

His gaze drifted down to the vibrating snow on the wooden railing. The hair on the back of his neck had rise, as there was a howl in the air, completely different from the freezing wind that he had heard in the last half an hour. When listened real closely, it sounded sharper and more inhumane...

"Guys..." Hibari's voice was heard over the radio, "Get out of there now."

Hearing their operator's dead-serious tone, Sakuya and her team could easily put two and two together without needing the red headed woman to explain any further details than she has to. With a sense of urgency, they quickly packed up their belongings and bolted out of the village. Suffice it to say, the prototype beacon test has proven to be a success, as the beastly growls and thundering footsteps across the snowy ground had shown. And now they needed to escape with their lives.

"Come on! The extraction is only just ahead!" Sakuya shouted, offering words of encouragement for her team.

Kiyoka could hear her heart beats drumming inside her ears, as she raced towards the mountain; their ride would apparently be coming in that direction. Her cold breaths were escaping rapidly from her lips, as if she was smoking a cigarette. She could feel her legs burning, having to muscle her way through the deep snow that met her kneecaps.

"Incoming! Above us!" Soma shouted, all of the sudden.

Heeding her fellow comrade's warning, Kiyoka raised her buckler in time, as a peculiar creature swooped down upon her, swinging both its fang-like arms that clashed against the black steel. Before the beast could fly out of her reach, she quickly switched her God Arc into gun form and zeroed in her target. With one blazing round that connected against its eggshell body, the creature fell down on the snowy ground in a crumbled heap. It lets out an agonizing wailing that sounded strangely human, as the flame burned away at its flesh.

At a glance, its hideous appearance was a fusion between a woman and an eggshell with a bulging amber eye. Zygote it was called, which meant, "joined" or "yoked" in Greek; a rather fitting name for this strange creature.

Kota grunted as he fired off shell after shell that soared through the air, attempting to fend off the pack of flying beasts with his fellow God Eaters. To his frustration, it had taken him at least three or four shots to hit one Zygote at a time, which weren't exactly making it easy for him with their bird-like speed darting around the sky.

He turned round when he heard the piercing scream nearby. His eyes have widened, and his gloved hand had instinctively reached up to cover his mouth when the bile in his stomach was rising. He saw the pure terror on a young man's face; a fellow comrade he had only met today. But more over, he saw the Ogretail that was feasting on his flesh. The same creature lifted its head back up to look dead at him, baring its crimson stained fangs.

Before he could react to the new threat in front of him, Soma had already beaten him to the punch. Next thing he knew, the beast had fallen on the snowy ground, with its face crushed from a severe blunt force.

"Don't just stand there! Fight!" Soma told him, who wasted no time swinging his buster blade at the next Ogretail that came at him.

"Fall back!" Sakuya shouted amidst the chaotic battle.

Kiyoka shot a glance over her shoulder when she heard the blood-curdling shriek. Another one of her fellow God Eater trailing far behind was caught by an Aragami: a humanoid shaped creature with iron-like wings known as the Chi-You. It was a pitiful sight, as the wounded, young woman was seen crawling on the ground with crimson trickling down from her lips. She reached out her arm, pleading her fellow God Eaters to rescue her. But there was nothing Kiyoka and the others could do for her, as the merciless Chi-You had grabbed her by the heel and dragged her into the mist, where the other beasts awaited. Any attempts to save her now would have been suicide. What followed afterwards were her harrowing cries that became unbearable to listen.

 _'Dammit...'_ She cursed, while clenching her teeth.

Then, she had no time feeling guilty for being unable to rescue that young woman when she saw yet another of her comrade down on the ground and struggling against an Ogretail. It was Shun, she realized. With his bare hands, the young man tried to resist the beast's attempt to take a bite out of his throat. However, it was only a matter of time before his strength betrayed him in the end.

"Help me!" He screamed.

There was no hesitation from Kiyoka, as she rushed over to help her fellow comrade at once. He may have been an obnoxious fool in her honest opinion. But he didn't deserve to be ripped apart and eaten alive. She sank the tip of her blade into the beast's neck. As she yanked it back out, a torrent of crimson had splattered across the snow. She didn't wait to see if the Aragami was dead, as her gloved hand reached down to grab the terrified young man by the shoulder and lifting him back on his feet.

It was moment or two later, they could make the faint sound of spinning rotors in the air. When they looked up the sky, their eyes lit up. The same helicopter that had dropped them off at the start of the mission, had returned.

"Oh thank god." Shun uttered.

The appearance of their transportation coming back to pick them up was a sight for sore eyes. With all the strength left in them, they ran for it.

However, their flicker of hope had disappeared as quickly as it had appeared in front of them...

There was a white flash in the sky before a huge fiery fireball hurled down into the peak of the mountain, creating a mushroom-shaped cloud of debris and smoke upon impact. As if watching their means of transportation destroyed wasn't already horrifying enough, the remaining human survivors heard something terrible erupted from within the mountain. The deafening sound that crackled the air was even mightier than a thunder - if that was even possible. It was a warning of a great violence to come. Even the horde of beasts that were pursuing them, had suddenly decided to change its course and head back the way they came out of fear.

"This can't be happening..." Sakuya muttered, who looked as disbelief as her fellow comrades did. It wasn't until she felt a hand on her shoulder that the Vice-Captain of the 1st Unit broke out of her stunned state, and meets the piercing blue eyes of her fellow squad member, Soma.

"Come on!" The hooded, young man shouted, as he dragged her along.

Kiyoka gave Licca a helping hand, after seeing the engineer stumbled in front of her. She wrapped the young woman's arm around her shoulder, and then pushed forward, trying to distance the roaring, crunching sounds that were breathing down their necks.

However, in spite of her best efforts, the noise caught up with her, ringing inside her ears. The powder around her had kissed her even colder than the blizzard she was experiencing until now. Everything became white in her view. Then, the weight of the snow struck her in the back, and she lost her momentum. She ended up tumbling over and over into the frigid white, crushed from all sides. The pain was hard and unforgiving; she felt as if every bones in her body have shattered. She opened her mouth to cry, but there was nowhere for it to go.

She continued to saw white for a few more seconds before darkness took over.


End file.
